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100+ Philosophy Research Paper Topics

One of the most difficult tasks philosophy students faces each year is in having to come up with a philosophy topic to write a paper on. Students can get notifications of big projects months ahead of time and then spend weeks trying to figure out whether their philosophy essay topics are good enough to earn a good grade.

We get it. It’s hard to pull this task together with schedules and responsibilities. This is why we work to find philosophical topics that are current and relatable. We stick to important issues that are at the forefront of the discipline and bring them to you in one convenient philosophical topic for the essay list.

Finding the right philosophy topics can turn regular assignments into A+-winning assignments and we’ve done the work to help you and hundreds of other students get started with these philosophy paper topics. Here are our top 100 philosophy topics for the current school year:

Argumentative Philosophy Research Paper Topics

Do people naturally have good and bad qualities?
Do we need family support to find happiness?
How humans can be happy without reproduction?
What is the definitive explanation of happiness?
Do most people feel they aren’t living their full lives?
Would you marry for money if it meant you could never be happy?
Would you like to live your life more than once?
Would you rather work vocationalation job or a high-paying job?
Are personalities unique or are they just template?
Do you think that it is moral to follow all the rules?

Good Philosophy Paper Topics for All Levels

Does one need to lead a moral life to achieve happiness?
Why do people find life harder than expected?
Which is the better teacher? Experience or learning?
Do people always do what they want at that moment?
Is truth universal or does it change because of perspective?
Do animals have a better sense of morals than humans?
Can people gain an education without proper schooling?
Does one need to be literate to understand philosophy?
Which ie preferable? Determinism or Free Will?
Is capital punishment ethical in today’s world?

Controversial Topics in Philosophy

How does society shape a person’s life and beliefs?
Do you need a lot of money to live a rich life?
Why are some people living without actually experiencing things?
Is spiritual power more important than free will?
Do genetics play a bigger role in the way people behave?
What impact does the word “love” have on positivity?
What is the real reason we live our lives?
Is it possible to form a perfect world?
Do religion and philosophy contradict one another?
Can a world exist without laws or regulations?

Fun Philosophy Paper Topics for High School

What would be your form ideal government?
What are the different ways in which humans understand each other?
How is the concept of happiness defined by different philosophers?
Is existence simply a dream experienced by a larger being?
If you can spend a week in any period, which would it be?
Are we alone in our galaxy or are there other intelligent life forms?
What does it mean to have free will versus determinism?
If you can change one thing from your past, what would it be?
Does religion limit our abilities to explore the meaning of life?
What does it mean to be loved or to love others?

Topics for Philosophy Paper on the Classics

What does it mean to understand our universe?
Does happiness come from our actions toward others?
Are our thoughts evidence that we exist?
What is the definition of evil as it relates to the modern world?
Could societies exist without laws and regulations?
Are people born good or evil or are they raised to be one or the other?
Is torture a justifiable form of punishment?
How can past leaders influence today’s youth positively?
Is beauty truly in the eye of the beholder?
Can we refocus our minds to think more positively?

Easy Philosophy Paper Topics for High School

What does it mean to be moral in today’s world?
Can wars be justified if it supports the greater population?
What does it mean to be a postmodern philosopher?
What are today’s most important life values?
What is the current perspective on the definition of loneliness?
How does one prepare for life after death?
Would you like to repeat your life with full knowledge of the prior?
Does something better than nothing always lead to benefits?
Do people choose to suffer or is it a feeling beyond our control?
Should people have to right to die by suicide?

Philosophy Topics to Write About Quickly

Do we exist in some form after death?
Do supernatural entities exist in the world?
Are video games negatively impacting people’s moral values?
How does one boost his or her ability to be creative?
Is it important to spend your entire life learning?
What does it mean to be mentally conscious?
What is the definition of loneliness and have you experienced it?
What are the most important character traits for leaders to have?
Does one need a lot of money to be considered rich?
Are we alone in the universe or is there another life?

Philosophical Topics for Essays on Current Issues

Are parents responsible for how their children behave?
Are the U.S. and U.K. meritocratic societies?
Has social media had an impact on people’s morals?
Do you agree with the notion that love only exists for 3 years?
Are humans more likely to cause trouble because of boredom?
Is capital punishment morally justified in modern society?
Do humans have the same ideas about what is right and what is wrong?
How does death affect how humans view life?
Is it complicated to live a life of happiness?
Should teenagers be given the responsibility to make their own choices?

Philosophy Thesis Topics for a Big Project

Do religion and the belief in God change a person’s behavior?
Are Machiavellian ideals still relevant in today’s government?
Is animal experimentation ever justified to protect humans?
What are the pros and cons of a utilitarian society?
What are the pros and cons of a communist government?
Why are humans the only species to be violent?
Is economic justice more important than legal justice?
Should women have univerabortion rightstion?
What impact did the 20th-century wave of philosophy have on the U.S.?
How do you know that you are different from other people?

Philosophy Research Paper Topics

What are the tendencies we see most in humans?
Are our morals connected to or influenced by culture?
Would you live your life a second time?
Should religion have a voice in a nation’s government?
What do you think makes for an ideal society?
Are truths relative to specific situations or circumstances?
What is the most important aspect to gain human knowledge?
What is something that veritably upsets you?
What is something in your life that you would like to change?
What is the most effective way to increase one’s IQ?

Getting a good grade on a philosophy research paper requires you to consider several different options and narrow down those options to a topic you feel you can conduct complete philosophy research on. The topic should also be something that interests you and verges into new areas in the discipline and area of study. This can be a difficult task for many students, so we create custom philosophy research topics to suit every situation. If you can’t find a topic you like from this list, just give us a call, email us, or send us a message via chat. We can direct you to a qualified philosophy expert writer to create a custom list of philosophical ideas to fit your assignment needs.

130 Powerful Philosophy Research Topics to Get Started

Table of Contents

If you are a philosophy student who needs a good topic to prepare your research paper, then have a look at this blog post. Here, to make your topic selection process easier, we have presented a list of the best 100+ philosophy research topics and ideas. In addition to that, we have also shared some key tips on how to identify one ideal philosophy research topic out of many. Just explore and get interesting ideas for your philosophy research paper writing.

What is a Philosophy?

Philosophy is an interesting subject that deals with the study of fundamental and general questions about knowledge, existence, reason, language, values, and the mind. It is a vast discipline that revolves around reality, truth, and goodness. Some popular areas of philosophy include Metaphysics, Logic, Epistemology, and Political Philosophy .

Philosophy Research Paper Topic Selection Tips

In order to write a powerful philosophy research paper, instead of just focusing on the facts, you need to critically analyze, identify hidden arguments, build logical arguments, and should also persuade your readers that your argument is reliable. Most importantly, for writing a good philosophy research paper, you must have an impressive philosophy research topic.

If you have no idea how to identify the right topic for your philosophy research paper, then simply follow the below-mentioned tips.

Select a topic that pleases you.
Pick a topic that allows you to identify and fill the areas that are lacking.
Always go with a topic that has ample references or resources to make your thesis writing process easier.
The ultimate goal of your research paper should be to attract the readers and hence choose a philosophy research topic that is impressive and informative to your readers.
Select a topic that has a wide scope of presenting your ideas and arguments with relevant examples or a piece of evidence.

List of Philosophy Research Paper Topics

Till now, we saw the tips for selecting the best philosophy research topics. Next, let us move on to the philosophy research paper topic ideas.

To make your search process easier, here we have shared a list of top philosophy research topics for you to consider.

Simple Philosophy Research Topics

What is loneliness?
Dog and cat: Which is superior?
What are utopia and anti-utopia?
Should abortion be legalized?
What are the pros and cons of capital punishment?
Why is cloning banned in many countries?
Can belief in God change human nature?
What is eternity?
What is harmony?
What is power?
How achieving harmony helps to increase empathy?
Inner harmony and peace are the key factors of psychological well-being: Explain
Impact of good and evil on the society
How do virtue and integrity play a pivotal role in the formation of good character?
Is happiness a chemical flowing through the brain or something else?
What in life is not subjective but instead truly objective and why?
Analyze the civilizational approach in understanding the development of human society
Critically analyze the African traditional philosophies
Comparative analysis between epistemology and psychology
Describe the opportunities and challenges for understanding phenomenology
Analyze the philosophy of phenomenology
Discuss the direct and indirect realism in philosophy
Analyze the philosophy of transcendentalism in New England in the early 1830s
Critically analyze the political philosophy behind transcendentalism in Britain

Interesting Philosophy Research Paper Topics

Can a person be happy without a family?
What is the Supernatural? Is there any proof of its existence?
Is it possible to be rich without having a lot of money?
Should people always obey the rules?
What is the value of truth?
What makes people kill in the name of religion?
Can we connect traditions supported by science and force people to follow them as customs?
Is it possible to change the main characters that define a person?
Discuss crucial modern-life values.
What is your definition of happiness?
Monistic, pluralistic, and dualistic understanding of the substance of thinking
Discuss French philosophy of the XIX-XX centuries
Discuss the philosophical anthropology about the essence of man and how it was reflected in ancient philosophy
Compare and contrast the philosophical ideas of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle
African philosophy echoes the deep-seated subjectivity of the African as an African: Explain
Analyze the philosophy of Anselm’s ontological argument for God’s existence

Philosophy Research Topics on Human Life

Why is it complicated to live a happy life?
What things make human life senseless?
Is there life after death?
What is the perfect life?
What makes human life meaningful?
Should death be treated as the final point in human life or as the beginning of something new?
Would you like to live your life more than once?
Evaluating life’s existence: Are humans the only living organisms?
Human life and culture
How to lead a happy life?

Read more: Best Humanities Research Topics To Explore and Write About

Impressive Philosophy Research Ideas

What makes people commit crimes even when they know that they will face capital punishment?
What makes women physically less strong as compared to men?
To love or to be loved: Which is more important?
Is it possible to always think positively?
Can torture be justified?
A vacation or well-paid job: What would you take?
Why is religion important above anything else for a lot of people around the globe?
Can we declare humanity as a supreme religion?
How can the custom of dowry be eliminated from people’s minds?
Is it possible for parents to be the best friends of their children in a real sense?
How is the age of maturity and the age of marriage defined by society?
What is the best way to boost a person’s creativity?
Why can’t social behavior and ethics be separated?
Are animals different from people?
Why do some people live without feeling alive?

Captivating Philosophy Research Topics

Is it possible to create an ideal society?
What are the best ways to reach peace in the world?
Should the church be involved in politics?
What are the pros and cons of genetically modified objects?
Is euthanasia ethical?
Evaluate the relationship between war and peace.
How has social media affected people’s moral behavior?
Analyze the impact of beauty on human development.
Should parents be held responsible for the actions of their children?
Can animal experiments be justified?
What are the pros and cons of committing suicide?
Can we justify the experiments on human beings?
What is the ethics behind Bitcoin or other cyber-currency applications?
How to increase the level of IQ?
What are the pros and cons of utilitarianism?

Excellent Philosophy Research Questions

Is there a moral obligation to be honest?
Should we allow incarcerated criminals to have children?
What are the pros and cons of marriage?
Should human beings claim a stake in other planets such as the moon and Mars?
What are the pros and cons of childless families?
Is it ethical to use steroids to enhance results in athletics?
What are the pros and cons of communism?
Positive and Negative features of Machiavelli’s ideas
Are humans really the kings of the universe?
What are the pros and cons of total control?
Is it really true that early to bed, early to rise can make a person stay healthy forever?
Should modern celebrities be considered positive models for contemporary youth?
Does genetics contribute to human behavior?
Evaluate the pros and cons of artificial intelligence.
What does the term ‘to cross the border of ethical conduct’ mean?
Ethical ideas concerning abortions.
Video games and their effects on the moral behavior of people.
Is morality objective or subjective?
What are the roles of Good and Evil?
What is the effect of binary opposition on the development of humankind?

Read also: Leadership Research Topics and Ideas To Deal With

Amazing Philosophy Research Topics

What is your attitude to “artificially designed babies”?
What is the future of humankind and humans?
Is 1 + 1 really equal to 2?
What is the sense of your existence?
Is there a possibility of working out a universal language?
The postmodernism ideas in philosophy.
What ideas or principles should an ideal family possess?
Should patriotism be regarded as a virtue?
What are the pros and cons of organ transplantation?
Is it ethical to have circuses?
Is it reasonable to tell a white lie?
Can murder be justified?
How to solve an issue between parents and children?
Why are humans cruel and evil?
Should religion be banned by law?
Are morals related to culture?
Do human beings deserve to have children?
Reasons and solutions for mass panic and hysteria
Is it worth sacrificing health in order to become more beautiful?
Is science compatible with religion in the contemporary world?

Informative Philosophy Research Topics

A critical analysis of the phenomenon of values through Axiology.
Write about Contextualism in Epistemology.
Conduct a detailed analysis of idealism and realism.
Explain the theory of modern liberalism.
Examine the influence of Greek philosophers on human sciences.
Conduct a critical analysis of the literary movements of transcendentalism.
A theoretical framework for the teacher’s philosophy of education
Philosophy and religion in Buddhism.
Conduct a comparative analysis of feminism and pragmatism.
Discuss the philosophy of stoicism.

Philosophy Research Paper Writing Tips

Choosing a perfect topic for philosophy research is a difficult task. Once you have selected a topic for your philosophy research, follow the below-mentioned writing tips to make your philosophy research paper stand unique in the crowd.

Structure the essay or research paper by including the following elements- Introduction, Body, and Conclusion.
Write a strong thesis statement in the introduction paragraph suitable to the philosophy research paper topic that you have selected.
Explain your points or arguments on the topic with supporting evidence and other credible information in the body section of the research paper.
Present your ideas in a logical order to avoid confusion.
The sentence flow should be natural throughout the essay or research paper.
Present your arguments or points in a way to persuade your readers.
Do a complete revision so as to make your final draft free from grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors.

Out of the different ideas recommended in this blog post, choose any topic of your choice and craft an excellent philosophy research paper as per your university guidelines. In case, you need an expert to offer you help with philosophy research paper topic selection, writing, and editing, feel free to approach us.

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About author.

Jacob Smith

I am an Academic Writer and have affection to share my knowledge through posts’. I do not feel tiredness while research and analyzing the things. Sometime, I write down hundred of research topics as per the students requirements. I want to share solution oriented content to the students.

140 Unique Geology Research Topics to Focus On

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Philosophy Dissertation Topics

Published by Grace Graffin at January 9th, 2023 , Revised On January 9, 2023

Introduction

The choice of dissertation topic is crucial for research as it will facilitate the process and makes it an exciting and manageable process. Several dissertation ideas exist in philosophy, including metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, logic, aesthetics, deontology, absurdum, and existentialism. Philosophy dissertations can be based on either primary research or secondary research.

Primary data dissertations incorporate the collection and analysis of data obtained through questionnaires and surveys. On the other hand, secondary data dissertations make use of existing literature to test the research hypothesis . To help you get started with philosophy topic selection for your dissertation, a list is developed by our experts.

These philosophy dissertation topics have been developed by PhD qualified writers of our team , so you can trust to use these topics for drafting your dissertation.

You may also want to start your dissertation by requesting a brief research proposal from our writers on any of these topics, which includes an introduction to the topic, research question , aim and objectives , literature review along with the proposed methodology of research to be conducted. Let us know if you need any help in getting started.

Check our dissertation examples to get an idea of how to structure your dissertation .

Review the full list of dissertation topics for 2022 here.

Philosophy Dissertation Topics of Research

Topic 1: an examination of women's perspective on feminist philosophy..

Research Aim: This study aims to look into the importance of feminism in a philosophical context. It will also identify the factors that lead to postmodernism and liberal feminism from women’s perspectives and will also focus on the impact of feminist philosophy on the development of modern society.

Topic 2: Sociological Functionalism- Investigating the Development and Beliefs

Research Aim: This research study will focus on new types of functionalism and get a deeper understanding of inner and outer circumstances in which different approaches take place. This study will also investigate how the researchers use social theory to acquire a better understanding of the environment in which these concepts are used. It will also promote sociology through informing and inspiring practices and research.

Topic 3: Assessing the History and Development of Philosophical Work from the 15th to 21st Century.

Research Aim: This study aims to find the history and development of philosophical work from the 15th and 21st Centuries. It will examine the theoretical foundations of the practice, applications, and social consequences. This study will also focus on different factors of how philosophy has evolved in these centuries and what changes have occurred.

Topic 4: A Comprehensive View of Social Development of Loneliness.

Research Aim: This study will comprehend how various theoretical points of view are connected or linked r to loneliness. This study will also present an argument for an interpretative social point of view by dissembling the sense of loneliness into key components. It will also focus on the problems and different behaviours of people.

Topic 5: What does it mean to live in an Ideal Society- Discuss using Plato's Philosophies.

Research Aim: Plato is well known for his monologue known as the Republic; he was also the classical political philosopher whose views influenced future political thoughts. Plato’s ideal society was created during a time when Plato was exceedingly optimistic about human nature and its ability to absorb knowledge. This study will conduct a deep analysis of Plato’s ideologies and his views and their impact on the western political world.

Topic 2: Should people always obey the rules? A closer look at the line between breaking rules and rebellion.

Research Aim: Rules are developed to maintain a balance in society and ensure discipline, which helps an individual in every sphere of their lives. But specific rules are created only for serving a group and not for the whole society’s best interest. This research aims at finding pieces of evidence where rule-breaking is a rebellion and for the upliftment of humanity and not in personal interest.

Topic 3: Loneliness: Reconstructing its meaning

Research Aim: This research aims at finding the meaning of loneliness, what it is to feel lonely, why some people are reclusive, isolate themselves. Loneliness is not always related to sadness, and some people feel better in isolation due to their bitter experiences of life.

Topic 4: Understanding why religion is paramount above anything else for many people around the globe.

Research Aim: Religion forms the basis of life and way of living for many people around the globe. People often get confused with religion and spiritualism, and the grandeur associated with religion becomes more important. The lack of knowledge and education forces blind faith. This research aims to find the reason for dependency on religion and how it negatively affects human lives.

Topic 5: What is the best way to boost a person’s creativity?

Research Aim: This research aims at finding the best possible way to boost a person’s creativity. The most important way is to motivate, inspire, and support them in their process of exploring innovative ideas. Recognition of talent can be the most effective method, which the research will investigate.

Topic 6: Morality and religion: Why are they different, yet they talk about the same thing?

Research Aim: The fundamental essence of religion is compassion and empathy for humans and ensures morality and ethics as a way of life. This research emphasises the primary aim of a religion and how people are getting disoriented and making rituals of religion the prime concern.

Topic 7: Wealth: Is it possible to be rich without having a lot of money?

Research Aim: Wealth and money are co-related as lots of money gives the power to buy anything. But a wealth of human life lies in their moral values, love, affection, proper health and wellbeing, and money cannot accept them. This research topic will speak about becoming wealthy, even with limited monetary wealth.

Topic 8: How can the custom of dowry be eliminated from people’s minds?

Research Aim: Dowry is a social parasite, and it is now a punishable offence by the law. But rules alone cannot change society. The research aims at eradicating the practice of dowry from people’s minds in the light of education.

Topic 9: To love or to be loved: Which is more important?

Research Aim: Love is the feeling of intense desire or deep affection. The most beautiful feeling gives a sense of satisfaction and grows through exchange between two individuals. To love and be loved are two co-related aspects as human expects love in return. The research focuses on the more critical dilemma, being on the giving or receiving side of love.

Topic 10: Why social behaviour and ethics cannot be separated?

Research Aim: The research aims to evaluate the importance of ethics in social behaviour and why they cannot be separated. An ethical society is a proper place to thrive for every individual.

Topic 11: A more in-depth look at things that make human life meaningful.

Research Aim: Money, power does not always buy happiness. The research lays the foundation for the importance of care, compassion, empathy. Love and affection as the more essential aspects that make human life meaningful.

Topic 12: Is it possible to create an ideal society?

Research Aim: An ideal society is free from any crime and economic disparities where everyone is treated equally. This research will discuss whether a perfect community is attainable; it is practically possible or not.

Topic 13: A closer look at modern life values.

Research Aim: The research aims to focus on the change in values in modern times. The research’s primary purpose is to provide a comparative study of how modern people’s mindset has changed over time.

Topic 14: Euthanasia: Is it ethical?

Research Aim: A long time debate exists regarding the ethical side of euthanasia. Ending someone’s life can be considered unlawful as we do not have the right to end something we did not create. This research aims at providing evidence in favour of euthanasia and also the negative aspects.

Topic 15: What is the value of truth? Are there instances when lying is good?

Research Aim: The research aims to provide evidence where lying is not unethical. The study will give an example from Bhagwat Gita, where Lord Krishna lied to safeguard humanity.

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Philosophy Research Topics: 200+ Best Ideas To Explore

Philosophy is all about asking big questions and trying to understand things better. It helps us think about important stuff like what exists, what we should do, and what makes something beautiful. This blog will talk about excellent philosophy research topics that get you thinking.

There are so many cool things to explore – from questions about the mind and reality to how society should work. By learning about these ideas, you can get more intelligent and add to what humans know. Explore fascinating philosophical questions with us!

We’ll examine exciting research that makes you go “hmmm” and “whoa.” It’s an adventure to figure out life’s big mysteries. There is no need for fancy words – just curiosity and an open mind. Philosophy is for everyone who wants to learn. Let’s think deeply together and discuss philosophy research topics.

Why Philosophy Research Matters?

Table of Contents

Here are a few reasons why philosophy research matters

It helps us understand people and big life questions better – Philosophy thinks about essential things like what is real, right and wrong, beauty, and what life means. Philosophical research gives new views on these big topics.
It builds critical thinking skills – Studying philosophy improves skills like logical thinking, analyzing ideas, and making good arguments. These skills help us break down complex problems, evaluate ideas, and make sensible arguments. Philosophy trains the mind to think clearly.
It provides foundations for other subjects – Many school subjects like physics, psychology, and linguistics build on philosophical foundations. Analytic philosophy has mainly influenced subjects like logic, the philosophy of language, and the philosophy of science.
It can impact society – Philosophical ideas have shaped laws, policies, social norms, and attitudes over history. Applied ethics examines how philosophical frameworks should guide moral issues like social justice. Philosophy can provide ethical analysis of new technologies like AI and bioengineering.
It has value in itself – Some argue philosophy is worthwhile for its own sake, separate from any practical impact. Philosophical inquiry allows us to contemplate life’s biggest questions deeply. Many find this search for wisdom inherently meaningful.

In short, philosophy builds transferable skills, provides foundations for other subjects, tackles big questions, and has value in thinking deeply about life. At the same time, not always concrete, philosophical research enables reflection on what it means to be human and our place in the world.

How to Choose Philosophy Research Topics

Here are some tips on how to choose good philosophy research topics:

Start with your interests – Consider philosophical, meaningful, or intriguing philosophical issues. Research flows more smoothly when you have a natural curiosity about the topic.
Look for under-explored areas – Scan philosophy journals and databases to find gaps where a new perspective could contribute. New angles on existing debates are often good topics.
Consider professors’ specialties – Many professors actively publish and have specific areas of expertise. A topic that aligns with their research can allow closer guidance.
Select manageable focus areas – Don’t pick topics that are too broad or already thoroughly debated. Focus on a specific part that can be covered deeply, given time/resource constraints.
Check if original research is feasible – For undergraduate papers, topics requiring original data may be unrealistic. Survey recent literature to ensure primary research is viable at your level.
Run topics by your advisor – They can evaluate if the topic is reasonable in scope, offers enough academic sources, and aligns with program expectations. Their input is invaluable.
Craft a robust research question – The research question drives the paper. Ensure it is arguable, not just factual, and identifies a tension/problem to resolve.
Evaluate practical significance – What real-world implications might this topic have? How could the research be meaningful beyond academia? Consider the potential impact.
Ensure philosophical depth – Topics should connect to fundamental philosophical debates and allow room for conceptual analysis. Seek substance over just novel observations.

The ideal topic has a compelling question grounded in philosophy, doable scope, available sources, significance beyond the paper, and alignment with your skills/interests. With focus and planning, you can develop these rewarding research experiences.

Philosophy Research Topics

Here’s a list of 200+ philosophy research topics categorized into different areas of philosophy:

Metaphysics

The nature of existence: substance or process?
Time: A metaphysical investigation.
The mind-body problem: dualism vs. materialism.
Free will and determinism: reconciling opposing views.
Identity and individuation: What makes an object distinct?
Causation: Understanding causal relationships.
Realism vs. anti-realism in metaphysics.
Essence and existence: Exploring essentialism.
Universals vs. particulars: Are there abstract entities?
Space: Investigating its ontological status.

Epistemology

The nature of knowledge: Defining epistemic justification.
Empiricism vs. rationalism: Sources of knowledge.
Skepticism: Challenges to knowledge claims.
Theories of truth: Correspondence, coherence, pragmatism.
Reliabilism vs. coherentism in epistemology.
Epistemic virtues: What makes a belief justified?
Foundationalism: Justification through fundamental beliefs.
Testimony and trust: The role of social epistemology.
Epistemic norms: Standards for rational belief.
Epistemic closure: Limits of justified belief.
Moral realism vs. moral anti-realism.
Ethical relativism: Is morality culturally determined?
Virtue ethics: The role of character in morality.
Deontological vs. consequentialist ethics.
Utilitarianism: Maximizing utility as the basis of morality.
Moral responsibility: Free will and accountability.
Meta-ethics: Investigating moral language and concepts.
Ethical egoism vs. altruism: The nature of self-interest.
Feminist ethics: Gender, power, and moral theory.
Animal ethics: Moral consideration for non-human beings.

Political Philosophy

Social contract theory: Justifying political authority.
Libertarianism vs. communitarianism in political philosophy.
Democracy: Theory, practice, and critiques.
Distributive justice: Fair allocation of resources.
Global justice: Moral obligations beyond borders.
Rights theory: The nature and scope of human rights.
Political obligation: Duty to obey the law.
Anarchism: Challenges to the legitimacy of the state.
Environmental political philosophy: Ethics of sustainability.
Multiculturalism: Balancing diversity and social cohesion.

Philosophy of Mind

Consciousness: Exploring its nature and origins.
Mental representation: How do minds represent the world?
Intentionality: The aboutness of mental states.
Personal identity: What makes a person the same over time?
Mental causation: Mind-body interaction.
Artificial intelligence: Philosophy of AI and machine minds.
Embodied cognition: The role of the body in cognition.
Phenomenal consciousness: The “hard problem” of consciousness.
Dual-process theory: Analyzing intuitive vs. deliberative thinking.
Explanatory gap: Bridging the gap between mind and body.

Philosophy of Language

Meaning and reference: How words acquire meaning.
Semantics vs. pragmatics in language understanding.
Understanding how words acquire meaning in communication.
Truth-conditional vs. non-truth-conditional semantics.
Speech acts The performative nature of language.
Language and thought: Do language structures shape thought?
Interpretation and understanding: The hermeneutic circle.
Contextualism vs. semantic minimalism in semantics.
Indeterminacy of translation: Quine’s challenge to translation.
Language acquisition: How do humans learn language?
Private language argument: Wittgenstein’s critique of private meanings.
The nature of beauty: Subjective vs. objective aesthetics.
Art and Interpretation: Understanding artistic meaning.
Aesthetic experience: The role of emotions in art appreciation.
Artistic creativity: Exploring the creative process.
Aesthetic judgment: Criteria for evaluating art.
Artistic expression: The relationship between art and the artist.
Art and morality: Can art be morally evaluated?
Aesthetic realism vs. anti-realism.
Philosophy of film: Analyzing the nature of cinema.
Environmental aesthetics: The aesthetics of nature and the environment.

Philosophy of Religion

The existence of God: Arguments for and against.
Problem of evil: Theological responses to suffering.
Religious pluralism: Coexistence of conflicting religious beliefs.
Faith and reason: Compatibility or conflict?
Religious experience: Nature and interpretation.
The afterlife: Conceptualizing life beyond death.
Divine attributes: Omnipotence, omniscience, omnibenevolence.
Religious language: Can religious claims be meaningful?
Theodicy: Justifying the ways of God to humanity.
Mysticism: Direct experience of the divine.

Philosophy of Science

Scientific realism vs. anti-realism.
The demarcation problem: Distinguishing science from pseudoscience.
Scientific explanation: Understanding the nature of scientific explanations.
Confirmation theory: Assessing evidence and hypothesis testing.
Theory change: How scientific theories evolve.
Reductionism vs. holism in science.
The scientific method: Evaluating its strengths and limitations.
Laws of nature: Are they descriptive or prescriptive?
Scientific progress: Criteria for evaluating scientific advancement.
Ethics in scientific research: Balancing discovery with ethical concerns.

Philosophy of Mathematics

Platonism vs. nominalism in the philosophy of mathematics.
Mathematical realism vs. anti-realism.
The nature of mathematical objects: Are they abstract entities?
Foundations of mathematics: Exploring different foundational systems.
Mathematical explanation: The role of mathematics in explaining natural phenomena.
Mathematical knowledge: How do we come to know mathematical truths?
Infinity: Philosophical implications of mathematical infinity.
Intuitionism: A constructivist approach to mathematics.
Mathematics and reality: Is mathematics invented or discovered?
Gödel’s incompleteness theorems: Implications for mathematical knowledge.

Continental Philosophy

Phenomenology: Husserl’s method of philosophical inquiry.
Existentialism: The individual’s struggle for meaning and authenticity.
Hermeneutics: Interpretive approaches to understanding texts and cultures.
Critical theory: The Frankfurt School’s critique of society and culture.
Poststructuralism: Derrida’s deconstruction of binary oppositions.
Psychoanalysis: Freudian and post-Freudian perspectives on the psyche.
Continental vs. analytic philosophy: Contrasting traditions and methodologies.
Marxism: Materialist analysis of society and history.
Postmodernism: Challenges to modernist conceptions of truth and knowledge.
Feminist continental philosophy: Gender, power, and identity in continental thought.

Philosophy of History

Historiography: The study of historical writing and methodology.
Historical explanation: Understanding the causes of historical events.
Exploring whether historical truths are relative to their context.
Teleology in history: Is history driven by a purpose or goal?
Historical materialism: Marxian analysis of historical development.
Historical relativism: Are historical truths relative to context?
Memory and history: The role of collective memory in shaping the past.
The philosophy of historical progress: Evaluating historical optimism.
Postcolonial philosophy of history: Decolonizing historical narratives.
History and identity: How historical narratives shape individual and collective identities.
History and ethics: Moral implications of historical interpretation.

Philosophy of Education

The aims of education: What is the purpose of schooling?
Curriculum design: Balancing breadth and depth in education.
Pedagogical methods: Evaluating different approaches to teaching and learning.
Investigating how different teaching methods impact student learning.
Philosophy in education: The role of philosophy in the curriculum.
Critical thinking: Fostering intellectual autonomy in education.
Education and democracy: The relationship between education and citizenship.
Multicultural education: Promoting diversity and inclusivity in schools.
Philosophy of childhood: Understanding the nature of childhood and its implications for education.
Educational equity: Addressing disparities in educational opportunities.
Philosophy of higher education: The purpose and value of university education.

Philosophy of Technology

Technological determinism vs. social construction of technology.
Ethics of emerging technologies: AI, biotechnology, nanotechnology, etc.
Examining ethical concerns in the development of artificial intelligence.
Human enhancement: Ethical implications of technological augmentation.
Technological unemployment: The impact of automation on employment.
Information ethics: Privacy, surveillance, and digital rights.
Technological singularity: Speculations on the future of artificial intelligence.
Philosophy of the Internet: The implications of online communication and connectivity.
Environmental philosophy of technology: Sustainable technology and ecological concerns.
Philosophy of design: Ethical considerations in design processes.
Techno-optimism vs. techno-pessimism: Attitudes toward technological progress.

Philosophy of Law

Legal positivism vs. natural law theory.
Legal realism: The role of judges in interpreting the law.
Rights theory in law: The nature and scope of legal rights.
Punishment and retribution: Justifying legal sanctions.
Analyzing the role of judges in interpreting and applying the law.
Jurisprudence of human rights: Philosophical foundations of human rights law.
Legal responsibility: Moral and legal dimensions of accountability.
Philosophy of criminal law: Justifying punishment and rehabilitation.
Legal pluralism: Coexistence of multiple legal systems within a society.
Feminist philosophy of law: Gender, power, and legal theory.
Legal interpretation: The nature of legal reasoning and interpretation.

Philosophy of Emotion

The nature of emotions: Cognitive vs. non-cognitive theories.
Emotion and reason: Interactions between emotions and rationality.
Emotional expression: How do we communicate emotions?
Moral emotions: The role of emotions in moral judgment and behavior.
Investigating the influence of culture on emotional expression.
Emotional intelligence: Understanding and managing emotions.
Aesthetic emotions: The emotional experience of art and beauty.
Emotion and identity: How do emotions shape our sense of self?
Emotional development: Theories of emotional growth and maturation.
Emotion and culture: Cultural variations in emotional expression and understanding.
Emotion and health: The impact of emotions on physical and mental well-being.

Philosophy of Literature

The nature of literary interpretation: Hermeneutics and literary criticism.
Fictional truth: How do fictional narratives convey truth?
Literary realism vs. metafiction.
Ethics in literature: Moral dimensions of literary works.
Narrative identity: How do narratives shape personal identity?
Literary genres: Exploring the boundaries and conventions of literary forms.
Authorship and intention: The role of authorial intent in interpreting texts.
The philosophy of the novel: Understanding the novel as a literary form.
Literary value: Criteria for evaluating literary excellence.
Literature and empathy: The role of literature in fostering empathy and understanding.

Philosophy of Mindfulness

The nature of mindfulness: Definitions and conceptualizations.
Buddhist philosophy of mindfulness: Origins and principles.
Mindfulness and meditation: Practices and techniques.
Mindfulness-based interventions: Applications in psychology and therapy.
Mindfulness and well-being: The effects of mindfulness on mental health.
Mindfulness in education: Incorporating mindfulness practices into schools.
Mindfulness and ethics: Ethical dimensions of mindfulness practice.
Mindfulness and neuroscience: The neurological basis of mindfulness.
Mindfulness and self-awareness: Cultivating awareness of thoughts and emotions.
Mindfulness in everyday life: Integrating mindfulness into daily routines.

Philosophy of Happiness

The nature of happiness: Defining and conceptualizing happiness.
Hedonism vs. eudaimonism: Theories of happiness and well-being.
The pursuit of happiness: Strategies for achieving happiness.
Happiness and virtue: The role of character in leading a happy life.
Subjective vs. objective happiness: Is happiness a subjective experience or an objective state?
Happiness and meaning: The connection between happiness and meaningfulness.
Cultural variations in conceptions of happiness.
The measurement of happiness: Challenges in assessing subjective well-being.
Happiness and social justice: Distributive implications of happiness research.
The philosophy of positive psychology: Philosophical foundations of the science of happiness.

Philosophy of Love

The nature of love: Defining and understanding love.
Theories of love: Eros, agape, philia, and other conceptions of love.
Romantic love vs. platonic love.
Love and attachment: The psychological and emotional dynamics of love relationships.
Love and ethics: The moral dimensions of love and romantic relationships.
Love and identity: How does love shape our sense of self?
Unrequited love: Philosophical reflections on unreciprocated affection.
Love and freedom: The tension between love and individual autonomy.
Love and vulnerability: The risks and rewards of opening oneself to love.
Love and mortality: The existential significance of love in the face of death.

These philosophy research topics cover a wide range of areas, offering excellent opportunities for research and exploration. Whether you’re interested in metaphysics, ethics, political philosophy, or any other branch of philosophy, there are numerous intriguing questions to investigate and discuss.

Tips for Conducting Successful Philosophy Research

Here are some tips for conducting successful philosophical research:

Read philosophically – Don’t just read for content, but read actively. Highlight essential claims, arguments, and assumptions. Think critically about what you read.
Understand the context – Research the historical and intellectual context around texts/topics. This background is crucial for insightful analysis.
Take clear notes – Maintain organized notes of significant ideas, debates, author positions, arguments, and your thoughts. Cite sources.
Engage with the literature – Let texts dialogue with each other through your analysis. Compare and contrast perspectives thoughtfully.
Develop analytical skills – Think logically, spot fallacies, scrutinize reasoning, and identify implicit premises and weaknesses in arguments.
Construct sound arguments – Build layered arguments with coherent logic, reasonable premises, and persuasive writing. Support claims thoroughly.
Consider objections – Anticipate critiques or counterarguments to your position and develop your responses.
Apply philosophical concepts – Use philosophical frameworks and questions to illuminate your topic and write insightfully. Tie ideas to ethical systems, epistemology, metaphysics, etc.
Craft a unique thesis – Stake out your own position within existing debates. Offer a novel argument or approach using evidence.
Explain complex ideas clearly – Use concise, precise, and plain language when appropriate without oversimplifying concepts. Define terms.
Connect ideas across texts – Synthesize different theories and perspectives into broader commentary. Show philosophical links.

You can produce impactful philosophical research with close reading, context, concise notes, analytical rigor, clear writing, and creative connections.

Final Remarks

Exploring philosophy research topics opens doors to understanding life’s big mysteries. Through these inquiries, we engage with core questions about life, right and wrong, society, and the human experience.

Philosophy research improves intellectual pursuits and sharpens critical thinking skills for complex issues. By exploring diverse areas of philosophy, we widen our perspectives and add to ongoing philosophical discussions.

Remember, philosophy is for everyone, no matter your background or expertise. It’s about curiosity, open-mindedness, and willingness to ponder life’s big questions. So, let’s keep thinking deeply, exploring fascinating topics, and welcome the adventure of philosophical inquiry together.

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Philosophy Research Topics: 400+ Captivating Ideas

As a Ph.D. student, writing a top-notch research paper will demonstrate your understanding of a subject. Students pursuing philosophy courses tend to be perpetually engaged in studying philosophical questions and framing a philosophy research paper around those answers. The goal of a research paper in philosophy isn’t limited to stating facts; instead, it includes asking the student to think through those facts. It includes students’ ability to analyse, discern, and construct logical arguments in their papers. Thus, to conduct enticing research, one must select a strong philosophical research topic that will keep them inspired and assist them in constructing a strong research paper .

In this post, we will demonstrate some significant areas of philosophy from which you can select some excellent philosophy research paper topics for your upcoming research.

Table of Contents

Significant Areas to Consider In Philosophy

As discussed earlier, philosophy is the study of truth about the hidden realities of humankind. Before moving forward with your topic selection, students need to acknowledge different areas of philosophy. It will assist you in narrowing down your research into significant research areas as per your interest. Thus, continue to read this section to understand different branches of philosophy.

Metaphysics : At its core, the study of metaphysics deals with the principle of existence and the nature of what truly exists in the real world, what it is like, and how it is formed. In metaphysics, you learn about ontology, nature, space and time, change, identity, objects, modality, laws of nature, etc.
Epistemology is the study of belief and knowledge. Epistemology is primarily concerned with seeking the answer to what we know about the universe and how we can know it. Additionally, epistemology studies the difference between believing something and knowing something, determining whether what we know is factual.
Logic: This is yet another important area of studying philosophy. Logic is generally the study of inference patterns. Logic in philosophy studies the scope and nature of logic. Philosophers employ logic to explore the nature and structure of arguments. Additionally, they study how other claims support any particular claim. Logic investigates related concepts, such as if, and, or, not, and some.
Political Philosophy: This branch of philosophy involves concepts, values, and arguments concerned with political matters.
History of philosophy: The study of knowing the philosophical positions, principles, and concepts that are highlighted, analysed, and explained in history.
Ethics: The term “ethics” concerns the philosophical study of the principles of moral rights and wrongs and moral good or bad for any philosophical concept.

400+ Philosophy Research Paper Topics

Now that we have studied the central branches of philosophy on which you can base your research paper, it is time to get onto the list of philosophy topics below that you can consider.

Axiology Research Paper Topics

Axiology, also known as the “theory of value,” is the branch of philosophy that studies value. It explores the nature and classification of values. Additionally, axiology studies what kinds of things have values and even logic. Below you can find some excellent axiology research paper topics in philosophy to get you started on your research:

Axiology and aesthetics
Comparative analysis between Axiology and aesthetics
Understanding the theories and science of values through Axiology
Epistemology, Axiology, and ideology in sociology
The Roles of Values and Axiology
Understanding the relationship between ethics and aesthetics with the help of Axiology
A critical analysis of the phenomenon of values through Axiology
Axiology in teacher education: challenges and opportunities
Transdisciplinary Axiology: to be or not to be

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Epistemology: Philosophical Topics to Write About

As discussed above, epistemology is the study of belief and knowledge. It employs questions such as, “what is knowledge”? or “how can we justify our beliefs”? Are you one of those students who are intrigued to research more on epistemology topics? If so, then you can have a look at the following philosophy paper ideas on epistemology topics:

Epistemology: An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge
A critical analysis of the structure of knowledge and justification
Leibniz’s contribution to epistemology
Moderate modal skepticism
The significance of epistemology for the growth of philosophical literature
Self-blindness and self-knowledge: a conceptualized study
Philosophical Skepticism: A Critical Analysis
Internalism and externalism in epistemology
Contextualism in Epistemology
Contextualism and epistemic rationality
Contextualism as a Theory of Knowledge
Epistemological Problems of Perception
Fundamental flaws in epistemology
A detailed study on epistemic reactive attitudes
Shoemaker’s concept of “self-blindness.”
Epistemic closure principles: an overview
Exploring knowledge as a mental state
Epistemology and educational research in the 21st century
The impact of facts and beliefs on human beings
Language, epistemology, and mysticism
Arguments and positions in epistemology in the 21st century
A comparative analysis between epistemology and psychology

Phenomenology and Philosophy Topic List

Phenomenology is the branch of philosophy that explores the structures of consciousness that a person experiences. It is the study of phenomena, i.e., it studies things and events literally as they appear from the first-person point of view. Consider the following ideas for a phenomenology philosophy paper:

A brief history of existential phenomenology
The European roots of existential phenomenology
Edmund Husserl’s contribution to phenomenology
An introduction to phenomenology
How phenomenology can help us learn from the experiences of others
The phenomenology of Dvali–Gabadadze–portrait cosmologies
Understanding the challenges and opportunities for understanding phenomenology
An introduction to perception phenomenology
Understanding the relationship between phenomenology and general science
Husserl’s (descriptive) versus Heidegger’s (interpretive) phenomenological research approaches
Understanding the role of phenomenology in nursing research
Philosophy of phenomenology: an overview
The role of phenomenology in research on mental health patients
A Phenomenological Research Study on Writer’s Block
Understanding the power of multi-perspective through phenomenological research
Phenomenological approaches and techniques in psychology and health science
An introduction to phenomenological approaches to studying anthropology
Edmund Husserl’s Transcendental Phenomenology

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Ideas for a Philosophy Paper on Ontology

Ontology is one of the oldest branches of philosophy that explores the nature of existence or reality. In this field, philosophers seek the answers to questions like whether God exists and nature’s existence. If this research area piques your interest, these topics are specifically compiled to help you out. Take a look and choose what topic suits you the best:

A detailed analysis of the different conceptions of ontology
The philosophy of science: paradigm, ontology, and epistemology
A comparative analysis of ontology modeling with other data-based models
Ontology of research philosophies
Understanding the theories of ontology in business studies
The language of gene ontology
The study of ontology based on Plato, Aristotle, and Avicenna’s opinions
Historical ontology: a critical analysis
Anselm’s ontological argument for God’s existence
Anselm’s Ontological Proof of God
Ontological and epistemological perspectives
Ontology in Deleuze’s “The Fold”
Ontological and Pascal’s wager arguments about God
Evaluating the importance of epistemology and ontology in leadership research
An ontological and epistemological perspective on the quality of life
the ontological, cosmological, or teleological arguments
Constructing ontology-based exclusive environmental certification systems
Ontology-driven data mediation in Web services
Visualizing information science knowledge by modeling domain Ontologies
Ontology-enhanced concepts Hierarchies for text identification

Realism and Philosophy Research Topics

In philosophy, the reality is considered independent of human perceptions. This way of thinking is based on the belief that information is developed through a scientific method. This section of our blog is dedicated to philosophy research paper topics based on realism. Let’s have a look at these interesting philosophical topics about realism:

Realism, poetry, and naturalism
Thomas Reid’s direct realism
Exploring the significance of realism and liberalism in international relations
Idealism and realism: a detailed analysis
Theories, realism, and liberalism
An introduction to the philosophy of mind by Thomas Reid
Maze’s direct realism and the character of cognition
The seduction of realism: a critical analysis
The significance of semantic realism
A comparative analysis of realism and anti-realism
Speculative realism: understanding the thoughts and realities
A critical analysis of the threefold cord
Understanding the theory of modern liberalism
Realism, Naturalism, and Modernism
Confusions and Criticisms of Classical Realism and Neorealism
Exploring the importance of naturalism and realism in American literature
A guide to romanticism, realism, and expressionism in art
Concept of direct realism in philosophy
Magical realism in literature
Realist and constructivist approaches to China-Japan relations

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Philosophy Research Paper Topics in Human Science

Philosophy has always been an important part of human culture. Students who are eager to research topics in philosophy related to humankind can consider the following research topics:

Introduction to the practices of philosophy and their impact on human science
A critique of global human behavior practices and assumptions
A meticulous and methodical approach to human nature
Development of the human sciences in the 18th century
The origins of existential phenomenology in Europe
The biological and cultural aspects of human science research initiatives
The importance of qualitative research techniques in all areas of the human sciences
A review of the institutions devoted to the humanistic/human science philosophy
Talk about how American culture has influenced other countries’ cultures and systems.
Western civilization’s core values in developing nations
Human interactions have a long history.
Acceptable political and cultural norms for all human interactions
Choosing optimism in a society that is constantly bombarded with doom and gloom
A methodical approach to understanding human nature
A critical analysis of philosophy as a model of human science
Philosophical presuppositions and the human sciences
The influence of Greek philosophers on human sciences
The effects of American infusionism on global civilizations

Transcendentalism Topics in Philosophy

Transcendental philosophy is another name for transcendentalism. This school of thought holds that humans are born good but become corrupted due to social obligations, peer pressure, and societal wrongdoing. It is one of the most interesting branches of philosophy that most students prefer to research.

Transcendentalism, a major philosophical movement in the eighteenth century
Beliefs and characteristics associated with transcendentalism
Exploring the history of transcendentalism in 19th-century America
The Transcendentalist Ideas in the Writings of Henry David Thoreau and Emily Dickinson
History of British Transcendentalism
Role of Transcendentalism and Romanticism in the Development of Nineteenth-Century Literature
Transcendentalism in American history
Transcendentalist battle between Ralph Emerson and Henry David Thoreau
Lois Lowry’s The Giver: Individualism and Transcendentalism
A Quantitative Essay on Transcendentalism and Self-Love
The Literary Movement of Transcendentalism
Romantic and transcendental movements in the 1830s
Philosophical Aspects of the Transcendentalist-BTS Relationship
The Development of Transcendentalism in Early American Society
A critical analysis of the literary movements of transcendentalism
Transcendentalism and Nature’s Worth
The Religious movement Of Transcendentalism in Modern England
The Spirit of Individualism and Transcendentalism
Romanticism and transcendentalism in Dead Poets’ Society
Transcendentalism: A Critical Analysis of Walden by Henry David Thoreau
The philosophy of transcendentalism in New England in the early 1830s
Transcendentalism through the eyes of Emerson, Thoreau, and Fuller
The political philosophy behind transcendentalism in Britain
Transcendentalism as the Antidote to Brainwashed Youth
Transcendentalism versus Anti-Transcendentalism
The impact of transcendentalism in the works of Emily Dickenson
Great utopian thinkers and transcendentalism in 19th-century America
Transcendentalism in Western Individualism and Spirituality

Philosophy Research Paper Topics in Education

The philosophy of education is the branch of applied philosophy that entails the nature and aim of education and the philosophical issues revolving around it. This practice is ubiquitous in human societies, has so many different manifestations in society, and has such a profound impact that it encompasses a wide range of philosophical issues, including ethics, social/political philosophy, epistemology, metaphysics, and philosophy of mind and language, among others.

Below is a list of some of the best philosophy research topics on education. For the best results, consider reading every philosophy topic in the below-given list:

An examination of education through the lens of the cave allegory
Taliban policies and philosophies toward the education of women
Educational philosophy: a detailed analysis of pragmatism in education
Educational philosophy in the K–12 classrooms
How has educational philosophy transformed over time?
How has the significance of education evolved?
A detailed study on the educational philosophies of training and developing an adult
How can educational philosophy train the mind of an individual?
How does proper schooling evolve an individual’s personality?
The significance of formal education
A detailed study of the philosophy of education in ancient Greece
Immanuel Kant: International Bureau of Education
How is morality concerned with the education of an individual?
A theoretical framework for the teacher’s philosophy of education
The idea of educational philosophy
Al-Ghazali’s philosophy and principles of education
Significance of Philosophy
Radical adult education philosophy: a detailed study
Philosophy of multicultural education
Educational Essentialism: An Untold Story in American Educational History
American philosophies toward education
A notion of change and advancements in education
Philosophy of Nigerian Education: A Detailed Handbook
An analysis of educational philosophy and curriculum
Rousseau’s concept of education
Exploring the evolving philosophy of women’s education
The history and growth of philosophical education in America
A detailed study on constructivism as a theory of learning
Applying constructivism to constructivist learning cultures

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Religion-Related Philosophical Topics

Students who find the philosophy of religion an intriguing subject can have a look at the following philosophy research topics on religion:

An introduction to the phenomenology of religion
Heidegger’s phenomenology of religion
Can the fallen angel become a saint again?
A critical analysis of education and religion in Thomas More’s Utopia
Origin, Movement, and Religion of the Enlightenment
Philosophy and religion in Buddhism
Religion in the modern, contemporary world
Influence of religion on the behavior of an individual
Declaration of humanity as a supreme religion
Compatibility of science with religion
Can we practice religion while abandoning humanity?
Morality and religion: a comparative analysis
Will COVID-19 lead to a decline in religion?
Religion and Democracy in Taiwan
Does the devil deserve a second chance?
A philosophical discussion on religion
Exploring the contradictions between religion and philosophy
Does religion restrict our ability to contemplate life’s meaning?
Would COVID-19 undermine the foundations of established religions?

Classic German Philosophy Research Paper Topics

Students are always excited to read and research classic German research topics. Thus, to help students, we have gathered some of the most appropriate topics for a classic German research paper. If you’re interested in this subject, consider reading each topic and selecting the topic that closely matches your interests:

17th and 18th-century German philosophy
Kant’s Works in Theoretical Philosophy
Leibniz: Philosophy of Mathematics and Logic
Kant: Metaphysics and Epistemology,
Kant: Synthesis
Social, political, and religious thought in the ancient German world
Kant: Transcendental Idealism
Aristotle’s Scientific Demonstrations as Expositions of Essence
Philosophy of Gender, Race, and Sexuality
Kant: Philosophy of Mind
Leibniz’s Philosophy of Science
Leibniz: Aesthetics
Leibniz: Metaphysics
Leibniz: Epistemology
Leibniz: Philosophy of Mind
Lambert on Morality and Moral Illusion
Leibniz: Philosophy of Action
The Birth of Ontology
Leibniz: Philosophy of Language
Leibniz’s Philosophy of Mathematics and Logic

Buddhist Philosophy Topics for Research Papers

Buddhist philosophy is based on the beliefs and principles developed among different Buddhist schools in India following the Parinirvana of Gautama Buddha and later spread throughout Asia. In Buddhist philosophy, meditation and philosophical reasoning are inextricably linked. This section compiles a list of Buddhist philosophy paper ideas and topics that summarize everything you need to know about Buddhist philosophies.

Buddhism: religion and philosophy
A comparative study between Buddhism and Stoicism
Buddhism and western philosophy
A comparative study of Buddhism versus Hinduism
An in-depth study on the convergence of Buddhism and Hinduism in India
Buddhism-associated theories in China
Indo-Buddhist and Taoist-Confucian types of culture
The philosophy of Buddhism and Hinduism: a historical sketch
The view of sin and punishment in Buddhism versus other religions
Japanese Zen Buddhist philosophy
A handbook on Zen Buddhism and Enlightenment
The philosophy of Schopenhauer: an in-depth research analysis
A detailed study of the misconceptions concerning sexuality in the Buddhist religion
Philosophical impact of Buddhism and Shinto practices
Exploring the relationship between Shintoism and Buddhism in China
The philosophical reasoning behind the noble truths in Buddhism
Elements of Buddhism’s religion that make it scary
Influence of Buddhism on Schopenhauer’s idea
An in-depth study of the components of Buddhism that make it sacred
An introduction to Buddhism as philosophy: why does it matter to philosophy?

Pragmatism and Philosophy Paper Topics

Pragmatism is a philosophical movement that consists of individuals who believe that an ideology or concept can only be true if it works satisfactorily. This movement originated during the latter quarter of the 19th century. Throughout the years, this philosophy field has constantly motivated individuals from the fields of law, sociology, education, etc. Thus, if you are a student of any such field, you can use the below-given research topics according to your interests and needs.

An introduction to pragmatism
Pragmatism as a philosophy of the social sciences
Philosophical ideas of pragmatism
The role of classic pragmatism in the development of feminist theories
Feminism and pragmatism: a comparative analysis
A detailed study for understanding the evolution of pragmatics
Implementation of Pragmatism in Education
Pragmatism and Feminism as Qualified Relativism
Bridging Pragmatism and Feminism Through Education
A methodological interpretation of contemporary feminist pragmatism
American pragmatism and analytic philosophy
A detailed study on the principles of pragmatism
American pragmatism in the 20th century
Pragmatism and education: a detailed study
Pragmatic liberal education
The necessity of pragmatism for studying philosophy
Consequences of positivism: A pragmatist assessment
Pragmatism and positivism
Pragmatism: A Learning Theory for the Future
Pragmatism in the field of communication theory

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Interesting Ancient Philosophy Topics

Ancient philosophy is one of the most interesting branches of philosophy. A huge number of philosophical issues were discussed in this era. Thus, you can find some excellent and interesting philosophy topics for your research paper in this section:

Philosophy was considered a branch of theory in classical times.
Immanuel Kant’s philosophy
The truth as perceived by the ancient thinkers
The philosophy of stoicism
How did the prehistoric philosophical system change?
A study of classical philosophy
Roman Stoic beliefs and philosophers
A detailed study of philosophical anthropology
Greek philosophy and its impact on medicine
How does ancient philosophy elaborate on creationism?
Philosophers and medicine in ancient times
Philosophy, its various issues, and its place in prehistoric civilization
“Know thyself,” the philosophy of self-knowledge
Ancient philosophy’s conception of the world
Ancient philosophy and science
The history of philosophy and medicine
Ancient Greek Philosophy
The early Greek philosophers’ cosmology
Understanding mythology from a philosophical point of view
The demise of Democritus
Platon’s political philosophy: history and myth
The development of philosophy and ancient mythology
Creationism: The Origin of Human History and the First Man
The Rise of Christianity and Roman Stoicism
Democritus and his atomic theory of the universe
The ancient origins of medieval culture
Cosmology in ancient philosophy: a detailed study
What was the role of Seneca Stoicism in shaping ancient society?
Ancient philosophy, mystery, and magic: Empedocles and Pythagorean tradition

Enlightenment-Related Philosophical Topics to Write About

Are you thinking of choosing enlightenment-related topics for your academic paper/project? If yes, then take a quick peek at the following philosophical topics regarding Enlightenment:

The Enlightenment Movement’s Principal Contributors
Age of Enlightenment: A Detailed Handbook
Enlightenment’s Positive and Negative Aspects
A detailed study of the political theory of Enlightenment
The seventeenth-century Rosicrucian Enlightenment
The French Enlightenment’s naturalistic view of human nature and civilization
the ideas of falsifiability, illumination, and Judith Thunberg
In what ways is the Enlightenment the culmination of earlier revolutions?
The extent to which the Enlightenment changed English society
Zen, Enlightenment, and Buddhism
The Enlightenment Tradition and its Critics
The sexual Enlightenment of children
A Critique of Freudian Psychosexual Child Enlightenment
The Essence of Political Thought in the Enlightenment: Arguments for and Against the Radicality of the Enlightenment
American Enlightenment thought: a detailed analysis
Enlightenment and the era of modernity
The age of revolution, Renaissance, and Enlightenment
Movements of Enlightenment and Romanticism: An Analysis

Renaissance Philosophy Research Paper Topics

Students interested in studying Renaissance philosophy can have a look at the below-listed research topics and choose one:

A comparative analysis of the High Renaissance in Rome and that of Northern Europe
William Shakespeare and the Renaissance: an overview
The Art, Architecture, and Artists of the High Italian Renaissance
How the Renaissance changed the way individuals saw the world
The impact of the Great Migration and economic developments on literature and art
The importance of the Carolingian Renaissance on the Bible
How the discoveries of the Renaissance period influenced people’s perspectives toward life
The Renaissance art patronage system in Italy
Renaissance Drama in England and Spain
Scottish Literature before the Enlightenment
Italian Renaissance: Paintings
The effects of the early Renaissance on medical breakthroughs
What have been the advancements in Renaissance culture and arts over the years?
Contributions of some of the Renaissance’s greatest forefathers
The ideal fusion of musical and artistic endeavors
The psychology of Renaissance art
Renaissance art and the motives of philosophy about the world
Early responses to Renaissance drama
The Renaissance’s humanist intellectual, cultural, and creative revolution
The representation of erotica and sexuality in works of 16th-century Renaissance art
15th-century Northern Renaissance
The Timeline of the French Renaissance
The life of Leonardo da Vinci: the genius
How discoveries made during the Renaissance influenced people’s outlook on life
The aspirations of global philosophy and Renaissance art
New patterns of Renaissance thought
Individualism and Humanism in the Renaissance
The myth of Renaissance individualism
Artists of the High Renaissance
Why did Renaissance art incorporate all essential worldviews into one cohesive whole?
Individualism is a trait of Renaissance humanism.
Philosophy in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
Psychology’s Renaissance
Influential English poetry in the sixteenth century
The woman in question in Renaissance texts
How the Reformation grew from the Renaissance
Family of the Medici and Florentine Renaissance

Modern Philosophy Research Paper Topics

Modern philosophy can be an excellent branch of philosophy to use in your research. The important aspect is bringing new perspectives to these existing research topics. Here are some interesting modern philosophy research paper topics.

An introduction to modern philosophy
Essential modern life values: an overview
Why do morality and religion, which address the same issues, differ?
Why do people slaughter animals for their religion?
A comparative analysis of modern and ancient philosophies
The postmodernist ideas in philosophy
Monistic modern science vs. pluralistic modern science
The existence of fate in the modern world
A controversial aspect of modern life
Abortion in modern society: a critical analysis
War and peace in the modern era
Modern ideas of language and its relation to reality
Capital punishment in the modern era: is it justified?
The mental demands of modern life
The impact of covid-19 on religious freedom
Essential life lessons that modern philosophy teaches us
The concept of power in the modern age
Understanding evil as a collective phenomenon in the modern world
Will covid-19 lead to a decline in religion?
An introduction to postmodern philosophy
Exploring happiness through the prism of modern youth
Postmodernism ideas in philosophy
The dignity of human life: an ethical analysis
Understanding Friendship Through the Eyes of Aristotle
Hans Georg Gadamer on prejudice and the trans-modern project
What are we learning from the nature of language?
The existence of American dreams
Humanity and philosophy

Basic Philosophy Research Topics on Capital Punishment

Some research paper topics revolve around some basic yet interesting facts. These basic philosophy research topic ideas are one of them:

Drawbacks and benefits of capital punishment in the modern world
Should capital punishment be justified in modern society?
Abolishment of capital punishment for resolving the root causes of the problems
Capital punishment: a global perspective
An introduction to capital punishment in America
Capital punishment as a legal system
Adaptation of a permanent solution over capital punishment: an overview
The role of criminal justice in debating the legality of capital punishment
Relationship between capital punishment and reformative punishment
Abolition of capital punishment
Legalization of capital punishment: a philosophical investigation
Understanding capital punishment as a global system
The political and personal issues related to capital punishment
Arguments for life and death regarding capital punishment
The pros and cons of capital punishment
A detailed introspection on the controversies related to capital punishment
History and present status of capital punishment from a global perspective
The psychological differences between criminals when they commit crimes and when they are punished

Argumentative Philosophy Research Paper Topics

Our experienced expert writers have managed to compile this list of excellent argumentative philosophy research topics for you. Read each one of these topics and choose the best for your research:

Do most people feel they are living to the fullest extent possible?
If being married for money meant you’d never be content, would you do it?
Do you want to experience life more than once?
A critical analysis of whether abiding by all regulations is morally right or not
Religion-related philosophical debates
Does life continue after death?
Reconstructing the meaning of loneliness
Multiculturalism and Autonomy in a liberal society
Machiavelli’s concepts: examining the drawbacks and advantages
Arguments against claiming that humanity is the only true religion
Assessing the presence of life: Are people the only living things?

Argumentative Philosophy Research Paper Topics on Feminism

Feminism has been a source of contention for several decades. Feminism has come a long way, but much more must be done. This section is thoroughly concerned with students interested in knowing more about the philosophical aspects of feminism.

Mary Baker Eddy’s pragmatic transcendental feminism
A detailed analysis of feminism and transcendentalism in 19th-century America
Feminism as a cultural renaissance
Multiculturalism and Feminism
Philosophical approaches to feminism
The ruling of the spirit over the mind
Feminism: Marriage and Civil Unions
Feminist beliefs and feminist movements
Normative and descriptive components
Feminism and the Diversity of Women
Feminist perspectives on rape
Feminist perspectives on reproduction and the family
Feminist perspectives on science
Implications for feminist thought as well as teaching and learning
Feminist perspectives on sex and gender
Feminist perspectives on sex markets
Feminist perspectives on the body
Feminist standpoint theory
Feminist perspectives on the self
Feminist perspectives on trans issues

Political Philosophy Topics to Write About

Political philosophy is the branch of philosophy concerned with the philosophical study of government at the most abstract level, with the nature, concepts, scope, and arguments of political opinion.

An introduction to political philosophy
Platon’s political philosophy
Difference between “positive” and “negative” liberty
Understanding liberalism and feminism through political philosophy
Classical and contemporary readings of political philosophy
Appropriate limits on individual liberty and government authority
The ethics of immigration
Anatomy in political theories
Cultural relativism: a detailed analysis
The Leveling-Down Objection
Philosophy of sexual orientation
Retrieving Rawls for Racial Justice
Rational Choice and Democratic Deliberation
Apply philosophical thinking to real-world problems in politics;
Libertarianism: What Everyone Needs to Know
A detailed study on the origins of inequality
Political and philosophical rights against discrimination
A Concise Introduction to the World’s Greatest Political Philosophers and Their Ideas
Epistemological commitments involved in social movements, civic, and political action interpretation of historical and contemporary texts in political philosophy
A theory of government and freedom

The Bottom Line

These were some of the best 400+ philosophy research topics for your upcoming paper. Go ahead and choose the best philosophy topic idea that intrigues you the most.

The above topics are meant to serve and inspire you in your upcoming research work. After selecting the right topic for yourself, you can complete the research and, later on, the writing part. Remember that this will only be the initial phase of your research work. It is indeed going to be a long and challenging journey ahead. But know that hard work always keeps the wrinkles out of the mind and spirit. No matter how hard the journey will be, you will always find a light at the end of the tunnel.

By Alex Brown

I'm an ambitious, seasoned, and versatile author. I am experienced in proposing, outlining, and writing engaging assignments. Developing contagious academic work is always my top priority. I have a keen eye for detail and diligence in producing exceptional academic writing work. I work hard daily to help students with their assignments and projects. Experimenting with creative writing styles while maintaining a solid and informative voice is what I enjoy the most.

Philosophy of Research: An Introduction

First Online: 30 August 2023

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Santosh Kumar Yadav 2

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The word research itself is a combination of “ re ” and “ search ,” which is meant by a systematic investigation to gain new knowledge from already existing facts. Frankly speaking, research may be defined as a scientific understanding of existing knowledge and deriving new knowledge to be applied for the betterment of the mankind. In the words of Wernher von Braun (a German philosopher), “ Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing .” It is basically the search for truth/facts. The significant contribution of research deals with the progress of the nation as well as an individual with commercial, social, and educational advantages. Albert Szent Gyorgyi (Hungarian Biochemist, Nobel Prize 1937) writes “ Research is to see what everybody else has seen and think what nobody has thought .” Research may be an important parameter to judge the development of any nation/generation. According to Clifford Woody (American philosopher, 1939), “ Research comprises of defining and redefining problems, formulating the hypothesis for suggested solutions, collecting, organizing and evaluating data, making deductions and reaching conclusion and further testing the conclusion whether they fit into formulating the hypothesis .” The major objectives of research are to find out a hidden and undiscovered truth of the nature/society. There are various objectives behind undertaking research by individuals as well as various organizations/universities. Some philosophical objectives behind any research include:

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Review Questions

Explain the term “research” in view of two philosophers.

Briefly describe the different steps involved in a research process.

Describe the different types of research, clearly pointing out the difference between an experiment and a survey.

“Empirical research in India in particular creates so many problems for the researchers.” State the problems that are usually faced by such researchers.

“Creative management, whether in public administration or private industry, depends on methods of inquiry that maintain objectivity, clarity, accuracy, and consistency.” Discuss this statement and examine the significance of research.

What is research problem? Define the main issues which should receive the attention of the researcher in formulating the research problem. Give suitable examples to elucidate your points.

“Knowing what data are available often serves to narrow down the problem itself as well as the technique that might be used.” Explain the underlying idea in this statement in the context of defining a research problem.

What is research design? Discuss the basis of stratification to be employed in sampling public opinion on inflation.

Give your understanding of a good research design. Is single research design suitable in all research studies? If not, why?

“It is never safe to take published statistics at their face value without knowing their meaning and limitations.” Elucidate this statement by enumerating and explaining the various points which you would consider before using any published data. Illustrate your answer by examples wherever possible.

“Experimental method of research is not suitable in management field.” Discuss, what are the problems in the introduction of this research design in business organization?

What are common features of good research?

How many ways the philosophical scientific knowledge may be classified in the research?

Explain Wilfred Carr’s concept of educational philosophy and theory.

What is the difference between philosophy of research and philosophy in research?

What is the physical relationship between learning and experience?

What is the impact of action research on the scholar’s learning?

What are philosophical features of a good research study?

Explain the role of a philosopher in an interdisciplinary research.

Write Short Notes on the following:

Educational Research and Philosophy

Philosopher in the Classroom

Educational Research: Pursuit of Truth

Interdisciplinary Research

Pragmatic Theory of Knowledge

Ethical Codes and Academic Independence

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Yadav, S.K. (2023). Philosophy of Research: An Introduction. In: Research and Publication Ethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26971-4_1

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abduction (Igor Douven)
Abelard [Abailard], Peter (Peter King and Andrew Arlig)
Abhidharma (Noa Ronkin)
abilities (John Maier)
Abner of Burgos (Shalom Sadik)
Abrabanel, Judah (Aaron Hughes)
abstract objects (José L. Falguera, Concha Martínez-Vidal, and Gideon Rosen)
accidental properties — see essential vs. accidental properties
joint — see agency: shared
logic of — see logic: action
action-based theories of perception (Robert Briscoe, Rick Grush, and Alison Springle)
action at a distance — see quantum mechanics: action at a distance in
actualism — see possibilism-actualism debate
actualism and possibilism in ethics (Travis Timmerman and Yishai Cohen)
adaptationism (Steven Hecht Orzack and Patrick Forber)
Addams, Jane (Maurice Hamington)
Adorno, Theodor W. (Lambert Zuidervaart)
advance directives (Agnieszka Jaworska)
Aegidius Romanus — see Giles of Rome
Aenesidemus — see skepticism: ancient
aesthetic, concept of the (James Shelley)
aesthetic experience (Antonia Peacocke)
19th Century Romantic (Keren Gorodeisky)
aesthetic judgment (Nick Zangwill)
Beardsley — see Beardsley, Monroe C.: aesthetics
British, in the 18th century (James Shelley)
and cognitive science (Jon Robson and Gregory Currie)
Collingwood — see Collingwood, Robin George: aesthetics
Croce — see Croce, Benedetto: aesthetics
cultural appropriation — see cultural heritage, ethics of
definition of art — see art, definition of
Dewey — see Dewey, John: aesthetics
environmental (Allen Carlson)
existentialist (Jean-Philippe Deranty)
feminist — see feminist philosophy, interventions: aesthetics
French, in the 18th century (Jennifer Tsien and Jacques Morizot)
Gadamer — see Gadamer, Hans-Georg: aesthetics
German, in the 18th century (Paul Guyer)
Goodman — see Goodman, Nelson: aesthetics
Hegel — see Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich: aesthetics
Heidegger — see Heidegger, Martin: aesthetics
Hume — see Hume, David: aesthetics
Japanese — see Japanese Philosophy: aesthetics
Plato — see Plato: aesthetics
Schopenhauer — see Schopenhauer, Arthur: aesthetics
Wittgenstein — see Wittgenstein, Ludwig: aesthetics
aesthetics of the everyday (Yuriko Saito)
aesthetic testimony (Jon Robson and Rebecca Wallbank)
aesthetic value — see aesthetic, concept of the
affirmative action (Robert Fullinwider)
contemporary (Paul C. Taylor)
ethics (Kwame Gyekye)
sage philosophy (Dismas Masolo)
afterlife (William Hasker and Charles Taliaferro)
shared (Abraham Sesshu Roth)
agent-based modeling in philosophy of science — see modeling in the philosophy of science, agent-based
agent-relative vs. agent-neutral reasons — see reasons for action: agent-neutral vs. agent-relative
agnosticism and atheism — see atheism and agnosticism
Agrippa — see skepticism: ancient
Agrippa von Nettesheim, Heinrich Cornelius (Vittoria Perrone Compagni)
of the person (Ajume Wingo)
akrasia — see weakness of will
al-Baghdadi, ‘Abd al-Latif (Cecilia Martini Bonadeo)
metaphysics (Stephen Menn)
philosophy of logic and language (Wilfrid Hodges and Therese-Anne Druart)
philosophy of society and religion (Nadja Germann)
psychology and epistemology (Luis Xavier López-Farjeat)
al-Ghazali (Frank Griffel)
al-Kindi (Peter Adamson)
al-Razi, Abu Bakr (Peter Adamson)
al-Razi, Fakhr al-Din (Peter Adamson and Fedor Benevich)
Albalag, Isaac (Bakinaz Abdalla)
Albert of Saxony (Joél Biard)
Albert the Great [= Albertus magnus] (Markus Führer)
Albo, Joseph (Dror Ehrlich and Shira Weiss)
Alcmaeon (Carl Huffman)
Alexander, Samuel (Emily A. E. Thomas)
Alexander of Aphrodisias (Dorothea Frede and Marije Martijn)
algebra (Vaughan Pratt)
algebra of logic tradition (Stanley Burris and Javier Legris)
alienation (David Leopold)
Althusser, Louis (William Lewis)
biological (Samir Okasha)
empirical approaches (John Doris, Stephen Stich, and Lachlan Walmsley)
Alyngton, Robert (Alessandro Conti)
ambiguity (Adam Sennet)
Ammonius (David Blank)
Ammonius Saccas — see Plotinus
medieval theories of (E. Jennifer Ashworth and Domenic D’Ettore)
analogy and analogical reasoning (Paul Bartha)
analysis (Michael Beaney)
analytic/synthetic distinction (Georges Rey)
anaphora (Jeffrey C. King and Karen S. Lewis)
anarchism (Andrew Fiala)
Anaxagoras (Patricia Curd)
Anaxarchus — see Pyrrho
Anderson, John (Creagh McLean Cole)
Andronicus of Rhodes — see Aristotle, commentators on
cognition (Kristin Andrews and Susana Monsó)
consciousness (Colin Allen and Michael Trestman)
animalism (Stephan Blatti)
animals, moral status of (Lori Gruen)
anomalous monism (Steven Yalowitz)
Anscombe, Gertrude Elizabeth Margaret (Eric Wiland and Julia Driver)
Anselm of Canterbury [Anselm of Bec] (Thomas Williams)
anti-realism, moral — see moral anti-realism
Antiochus of Ascalon (James Allen)
a posteriori knowledge — see a priori justification and knowledge
epistemological problems of perception — see perception: epistemological problems of
skepticism — see skepticism
a priori justification and knowledge (Bruce Russell)
moral, political, and legal philosophy (John Finnis)
metaphysics (Amos Bertolacci)
natural philosophy and natural science (Jon McGinnis)
philosophy of language and logic (Tony Street and Nadja Germann)
philosophy of mathematics (Mohammad Saleh Zarepour)
philosophy of religion (Jon McGinnis and Rahim Acar)
psychology and philosophy of mind (Alfred Ivry)
Greek sources (Cristina D’Ancona)
influence of Arabic and Islamic Philosophy on Judaic thought (Mauro Zonta and Charles Manekin)
influence of Arabic and Islamic Philosophy on the Latin West (Dag Nikolaus Hasse)
Ibn Kammūna — see Ibn Kammūna
Ikhwân al-Safâ’ — see Ikhwân al-Safâ’
mysticism (Mehdi Aminrazavi)
Arcesilaus (Charles Brittain and Peter Osorio)
architecture, philosophy of (Saul Fisher)
Archytas (Carl Huffman)
Arendt, Hannah (Tatjana Tömmel and Maurizio Passerin d’Entreves)
arete — see ethics: ancient
argument and argumentation (Catarina Dutilh Novaes)
epistemic utility — see epistemic utility arguments for epistemic norms
commentators on Aristotle — see Aristotle, commentators on
in the Renaissance (David Lines)
Aristotle (Christopher Shields)
Alexander of Aphrosias — see Alexander of Aphrodisias
Ammonius — see Ammonius
David — see David
Elias — see Elias
Olympiodorus — see Olympiodorus
Philoponus — see Philoponus
Simplicius — see Simplicius
aesthetics (Pierre Destrée)
biology (James Lennox)
categories (Paul Studtmann)
ethics (Richard Kraut)
logic (Robin Smith)
metaphysics (S. Marc Cohen and C. D. C. Reeve)
political theory (Fred Miller)
psychology (Christopher Shields)
rhetoric (Christof Rapp)
causality (Andrea Falcon)
mathematics (Henry Mendell)
natural philosophy (Istvan Bodnar)
on non-contradiction (Paula Gottlieb)
Arnauld, Antoine (Elmar Kremer)
Arouet, François-Marie — see Voltaire
Arrow’s theorem (Michael Morreau)
erotic (Hans Maes)
art, conceptual (Elisabeth Schellekens)
art, definition of (Thomas Adajian)
artifact (Beth Preston)
automated reasoning — see reasoning: automated
belief representation — see belief, formal representations of
Chinese room argument — see Chinese room argument
connectionism — see connectionism
defeasible reasoning — see reasoning: defeasible
ethics of (Vincent C. Müller)
frame problem — see frame problem
logic-based (Richmond Thomason)
Turing test — see Turing test
aspect — see tense and aspect
assertion (Peter Pagin and Neri Marsili)
associationist theories of thought (Eric Mandelbaum)
Astell, Mary (Alice Sowaal)
atheism and agnosticism (Paul Draper)
17th to 20th century (Alan Chalmers)
ancient (Sylvia Berryman)
atonement (Joshua C. Thurow)
attention (Christopher Mole)
attributes — see properties
auditory perception — see perception: auditory
Augustine of Hippo (Christian Tornau)
Auriol [Aureol, Aureoli], Peter (Russell L. Friedman)
Austin, John (Brian Bix)
Austin, John Langshaw (Guy Longworth)
authenticity (Somogy Varga and Charles Guignon)
legal — see legal obligation and authority
and informed consent — see informed consent
in moral and political philosophy (John Christman)
personal (Sarah Buss and Andrea Westlund)
natural philosophy — see Ibn Rushd: natural philosophy
Avicebron — see Ibn Gabirol, Solomon
logic — see Ibn Sina: logic
metaphysics — see Ibn Sina: metaphysics
natural philosophy — see Ibn Sina: natural philosophy
awareness, bodily — see bodily awareness
Ayer, Alfred Jules (Graham Macdonald and Nikhil Krishnan)

B [jump to top]

Bacon, Francis (Jürgen Klein)
Bacon, Roger (Jeremiah Hackett)
Bain, Alexander — see Scottish Philosophy: in the 19th century
basing relation, epistemic (Keith Allen Korcz)
Baudrillard, Jean (Douglas Kellner)
Bauer, Bruno (Douglas Moggach)
Bayes’ Theorem (James Joyce)
Bayle, Pierre (Michael Hickson)
aesthetics (Michael Wreen)
Beattie, James — see Scottish Philosophy: in the 18th Century
beauty (Crispin Sartwell)
Beauvoir, Simone de (Debra Bergoffen and Megan Burke)
behaviorism (George Graham)
being — see existence
in modern physics — see space and time: being and becoming in modern physics
self-locating — see self-locating beliefs
belief, ethics of (Andrew Chignell)
belief, formal representations of (Konstantin Genin and Franz Huber)
belief merging and judgment aggregation (Gabriella Pigozzi)
Bell’s Theorem (Wayne Myrvold, Marco Genovese, and Abner Shimony)
beneficence, principle of (Tom Beauchamp)
Benjamin, Walter (Peter Osborne and Matthew Charles)
Bentham, Jeremy (James E. Crimmins)
Bergson, Henri (Leonard Lawlor and Valentine Moulard-Leonard)
Berkeley, George (Lisa Downing)
Berlin, Isaiah (Joshua Cherniss and Henry Hardy)
Bessarion, Basil [Cardinal] (Eva Del Soldato)
bias, implicit (Michael Brownstein)
binarium famosissimum [= most famous pair] (Paul Vincent Spade)
biodiversity — see ecology: biodiversity
theories of (Melinda Bonnie Fagan and Jane Maienschein)
biological individuals (Robert A. Wilson and Matthew J. Barker)
biological information — see information: biological
conservation — see conservation biology
developmental — see developmental biology
experiment in (Marcel Weber)
molecular — see molecular biology
philosophy of (Jay Odenbaugh and Paul Griffiths)
reduction in — see reduction, scientific: in biology
teleological notions in — see teleology: teleological notions in biology
feminist — see feminist philosophy, interventions: philosophy of biology
biomedicine, philosophy of (Sean Valles)
Blair, Hugh — see Scottish Philosophy: in the 18th Century
blame (Neal Tognazzini and D. Justin Coates)
Bloch, Ernst (Ivan Boldyrev)
bodily awareness (Frédérique de Vignemont)
Bodin, Jean (Mario Turchetti)
body — see substance
Boethius, Anicius Manlius Severinus (John Marenbon)
Boethius of Dacia (Sten Ebbesen)
correspondence principle (Alisa Bokulich and Peter Bokulich)
logic (Paul Rusnock and Jan Šebestik)
Bonaventure (Tim Noone, R. E. Houser, and Joshua Benson)
Boole, George (Stanley Burris)
the mathematics of (J. Donald Monk)
Bosanquet, Bernard (William Sweet)
boundary (Achille Varzi)
bounded rationality (Gregory Wheeler)
Boyle, Robert (J. J. MacIntosh, Peter Anstey, and Jan-Erik Jones)
moral philosophy (Dina Babushkina and David Crossley)
Regress (Katarina Perovic)
brain death — see death: definition of
brains in a vat — see skepticism: and content externalism
theory of judgement (Johannes L. Brandl and Mark Textor)
Broad, Charlie Dunbar (Kent Gustavsson)
Brouwer, Luitzen Egbertus Jan (Mark van Atten)
Brown, Thomas — see Scottish Philosophy: in the 19th century
Bruno, Giordano (Dilwyn Knox)
Buber, Martin (Michael Zank and Zachary Braiterman)
Buddha (Mark Siderits)
Chan — see Chinese Philosophy: Chan Buddhism
ethics in Indian Buddhism — see ethics: in Indian Buddhism
mind in Indian Buddhist Philosophy — see mind: in Indian Buddhist Philosophy
Tiantai — see Chinese Philosophy: Tiantai Buddhism
Zen — see Japanese Philosophy: Zen Buddhism
Buddhism: Huayan — see Chinese Philosophy: Huayan Buddhism
bundle theory — see substance
Buridan, John [Jean] (Jack Zupko)
Burke, Edmund (Ian Harris)
Burley [Burleigh], Walter (Alessandro Conti)
Burnett, James [Lord Monboddo] — see Scottish Philosophy: in the 18th Century
moral philosophy (Aaron Garrett)
Byzantine Philosophy (Katerina Ierodiakonou and Börje Bydén)

C [jump to top]

Caird, Edward — see Scottish Philosophy: in the 19th century
Callicles — see Plato: Callicles and Thrasymachus
Cambridge Platonists (Sarah Hutton)
Campanella, Tommaso (Germana Ernst and Jean-Paul De Lucca)
Campbell, George — see Scottish Philosophy: in the 18th Century
Camus, Albert (Ronald Aronson)
cancer (Anya Plutynski and Lucie Laplane)
capability approach (Ingrid Robeyns and Morten Fibieger Byskov)
Cardano, Girolamo [Geronimo] (Guido Giglioni and Jonathan Regier)
Carmichael, Gershom — see Scottish Philosophy: in the 18th Century
Carnap, Rudolf (Hannes Leitgeb and André Carus)
Carneades (James Allen)
Cassirer, Ernst (Michael Friedman)
casuistry — see reasoning: moral
medieval theories of (Jorge Gracia and Lloyd Newton)
category mistakes (Ofra Magidor)
category theory (Jean-Pierre Marquis)
causal determinism — see determinism: causal
causal models (Christopher Hitchcock)
backward (Jan Faye)
counterfactual theories of (Peter Menzies and Helen Beebee)
in Arabic and Islamic thought (Kara Richardson)
in physics (Mathias Frisch)
in the law (Michael Moore)
and manipulability (James Woodward)
medieval theories of (Graham White)
mental — see mental causation
the metaphysics of (J. Dmitri Gallow)
probabilistic (Christopher Hitchcock)
regularity and inferential theories of (Holger Andreas and Mario Guenther)
retrocausality in quantum mechanics — see quantum mechanics: retrocausality
Cavendish, Margaret Lucas (David Cunning)
cell biology, philosophy of (William Bechtel and Andrew Bollhagen)
cellular automata (Francesco Berto and Jacopo Tagliabue)
censorship — see pornography: and censorship
certainty (Baron Reed)
ceteris paribus laws — see laws of nature: ceteris paribus
versus randomness (Antony Eagle)
and inconsistency (Chris Mortensen)
change: Chinese philosophy of — see Chinese Philosophy: philosophy of change
chaos (Robert Bishop)
empirical approaches (Christian B. Miller)
Châtelet, Émilie du (Karen Detlefsen and Andrew Janiak)
Chatton, Walter (Rondo Keele and Jenny Pelletier)
chemistry, philosophy of (Michael Weisberg, Paul Needham, and Robin Hendry)
childhood, the philosophy of (Gareth Matthews and Amy Mullin)
children, philosophy for (Michael Pritchard)
philosophy in (Ivan Jaksic)
chimeras, human/non-human — see ethics, biomedical: chimeras, human/non-human
Modern Confucianism (David Elstein)
Chinese ethics — see Chinese Philosophy: ethics
Chan Buddhism (Peter Hershock)
Chinese medicine (Lisa Raphals)
Compared to Western Philosophy — see comparative philosophy: Chinese and Western
Confucius — see Confucius
Daoism (Taoism) — see Daoism
emotions in early Chinese Philosophy (Bongrae Seok)
epistemology (Jana Rošker)
ethics (David Wong)
Han Dynasty (Alexus McLeod)
Huayan Buddhism (Bryan Van Norden and Nicholaos Jones)
Laozi — see Laozi
legalism in (Yuri Pines)
logic and language in Early Chinese Philosophy (Marshall D. Willman)
Mencius — see Mencius
metaphysics (Franklin Perkins)
mind (heart-mind) (David Wong)
Mohism (Chris Fraser)
Mohist Canons (Chris Fraser)
Neo-Daoism — see Neo-Daoism
philosophy of change (Tze-Ki Hon)
Qing philosophy (On-cho Ng)
science (Lisa Raphals)
social and political thought (Stephen C. Angle)
Song-Ming Confucianism (Justin Tiwald)
Tiantai Buddhism (Brook Ziporyn)
translating and interpreting (Henry Rosemont Jr. and Chad Hansen)
Wang Yangming — see Wang Yangming
Xunzi — see Xunzi
Zhuang Zi — see Zhuangzi
Zhu Xi — see Zhu Xi
Chinese room argument (David Cole)
Chisholm, Roderick (Richard Feldman and Fred Feldman)
choice, axiom of (John L. Bell)
choice, dynamic (Chrisoula Andreou)
choice, social — see social choice theory
Christian theology, philosophy and (William Wood)
Church, Alonzo (Harry Deutsch and Oliver Marshall)
Church-Turing Thesis (B. Jack Copeland)
Church’s Thesis — see Church-Turing Thesis
Cicero (Raphael Woolf)
citizenship (Dominique Leydet)
civic education (Jack Crittenden and Peter Levine)
civic humanism (Cary Nederman)
civil disobedience (Candice Delmas and Kimberley Brownlee)
civil rights (Andrew Altman)
Clarke, Samuel (Timothy Yenter and Ezio Vailati)
Clement of Alexandria — see doxography of ancient philosophy
climate justice — see justice: climate
climate science (Wendy Parker)
clinical research, ethics of — see ethics, biomedical: clinical research
cloning (Katrien Devolder)
Cockburn, Catharine Trotter (Patricia Sheridan)
coercion (Scott Anderson)
animal — see animal: cognition
embodied (Lawrence Shapiro and Shannon Spaulding)
cognitive disability and moral status (David Wasserman, Adrienne Asch, Jeffrey Blustein, and Daniel Putnam)
cognitive science (Paul Thagard)
cognitivism vs. non-cognitivism, moral (Mark van Roojen)
Cohen, Hermann (Scott Edgar)
aesthetics (Gary Kemp)
Collins, Anthony (William Uzgalis)
colonialism (Margaret Kohn and Kavita Reddy)
color (Barry Maund)
common cause principle — see Reichenbach, Hans: common cause principle
common good (Waheed Hussain)
common knowledge (Peter Vanderschraaf and Giacomo Sillari)
communitarianism (Daniel Bell)
comparative cognition, methods in (Marta Halina)
Chinese and Western (David Wong)
compatibilism (Michael McKenna and D. Justin Coates)
competence, in biomedical decision-making — see decision-making capacity
computability and — see computability and complexity
computational — see computational complexity theory
composition, the vagueness of — see many, problem of
compositionality (Zoltán Gendler Szabó)
computability and complexity (Neil Immerman)
in physical systems (Gualtiero Piccinini and Corey Maley)
computational complexity theory (Walter Dean)
computational linguistics — see linguistics: computational
computational philosophy (Patrick Grim and Daniel Singer)
computational theory of mind — see mind: computational theory of
computer science, philosophy of (Nicola Angius, Giuseppe Primiero, and Raymond Turner)
modern history of (B. Jack Copeland)
and moral responsibility (Merel Noorman)
Comte, Auguste (Michel Bourdeau)
concepts (Eric Margolis and Stephen Laurence)
condemnation of 1277 (Hans Thijssen)
Condillac, Étienne Bonnot de (Lorne Falkenstein and Giovanni Grandi)
counterfactual (W. Starr)
logic of — see logic: conditionals
in the history of feminism (Joan Landes)
confirmation (Vincenzo Crupi)
gender in Confucian philosophy (Li-Hsiang Rosenlee)
Japanese — see Japanese Philosophy: Confucian
Korean — see Korean Philosophy: Confucianism
Modern Confucianism — see Chinese Confucianism: Modern Confucianism
Song-Ming — see Chinese Philosophy: Song-Ming Confucianism
Confucius (Mark Csikszentmihalyi)
connectionism (Cameron Buckner and James Garson)
sentence connectives in formal logic (Lloyd Humberstone)
medieval theories of (Peter Eardley)
animal — see animal: consciousness
higher-order theories (Peter Carruthers and Rocco Gennaro)
and intentionality (Charles Siewert)
neuroscience of (Wayne Wu and Jorge Morales)
representational theories of (William Lycan)
seventeenth-century theories of (Larry M. Jorgensen)
temporal (Barry Dainton)
unity of (Andrew Brook and Paul Raymont)
consent — see political obligation
consequence, medieval theories of (Catarina Dutilh Novaes)
rule (Brad Hooker)
consequentializing (Douglas W. Portmore)
conservation biology (Jay Odenbaugh)
conservatism (Andy Hamilton)
constitutionalism (Wil Waluchow and Dimitrios Kyritsis)
constructive empiricism (Bradley Monton and Chad Mohler)
in metaethics (Carla Bagnoli)
in political philosophy (Andrew Williams)
contextualism, epistemic (Patrick Rysiew)
Continental Rationalism (Shannon Dea, Julie Walsh, and Thomas M. Lennon)
continuity and infinitesimals (John L. Bell)
continuum hypothesis — see set theory: continuum hypothesis
contractarianism (Ann Cudd and Seena Eftekhari)
contract law, philosophy of (Daniel Markovits and Emad Atiq)
contractualism (Elizabeth Ashford and Tim Mulgan)
contradiction (Laurence R. Horn)
moral/conventional distinction — see moral/conventional distinction
Conway, Lady Anne (Sarah Hutton)
Cooper, Anna Julia (Kathryn Sophia Belle)
Copernicus, Nicolaus (Sheila Rabin)
Cordemoy, Géraud de (Fred Ablondi)
corruption (Seumas Miller)
cosmological argument (Bruce Reichenbach)
methodological debates in the 1930s and 1940s (George Gale)
and theology (Hans Halvorson and Helge Kragh)
cosmology, philosophy of (Christopher Smeenk and George Ellis)
cosmopolitanism (Pauline Kleingeld and Eric Brown)
counterfactuals — see conditionals: counterfactual
counterpart theory — see possible objects
Crathorn, William (Aurélien Robert)
creation and conservation (David Vander Laan)
creationism (Michael Ruse)
creativity (Elliot Samuel Paul and Dustin Stokes)
Crescas, Hasdai (Shalom Sadik)
criminal law, theories of (James Edwards)
critical philosophy of race (Linda Alcoff)
critical race theory — see critical philosophy of race
critical theory (Robin Celikates and Jeffrey Flynn)
critical thinking (David Hitchcock)
Crummell, Alexander (Stephen Thompson)
Cudworth, Ralph (Sarah Hutton)
cultural evolution — see evolution: cultural
cultural heritage, ethics of (Erich Hatala Matthes)
and cognitive science (Daniel Kelly and Andreas De Block)
Curry’s paradox (Lionel Shapiro and Jc Beall)
Cusanus, Nicolaus [Nicolas of Cusa] (Clyde Lee Miller)

D [jump to top]

Damian, Peter (Toivo J. Holopainen)
dance, philosophy of (Aili Bresnahan)
Dante Alighieri (Winthrop Wetherbee and Jason Aleksander)
religious (Fabrizio Pregadio)
from the Origin of Species to the Descent of Man — see evolution: from the Origin of Species to the Descent of Man
Darwinism (James Lennox and Charles H. Pence)
Dasein — see Heidegger, Martin
Daud, Abraham Ibn — see Ibn Daud, Abraham
David (Christian Wildberg)
Davidson, Donald (Jeff Malpas)
definition of (David DeGrazia)
de Beauvoir, Simone — see Beauvoir, Simone de
definition of — see lying and deception: definition of
self — see self-deception
decision-making capacity (Jennifer Hawkins and Louis C. Charland)
causal (Paul Weirich)
descriptive (Jake Chandler)
expected utility theories of rational choice — see rational choice, normative: expected utility
non-expected-utility theories of rational choice — see rational choice, normative: rivals to expected utility
contributions to the foundations of mathematics (Erich Reck)
deductivism in the philosophy of mathematics (Alexander Paseau and Fabian Pregel)
defaults in semantics and pragmatics (Katarzyna M. Jaszczolt)
definitions (Anil Gupta and Stephen Mackereth)
Deleuze, Gilles (Daniel Smith, John Protevi, and Daniela Voss)
Delmedigo, Elijah (Michael Engel)
delusion (Lisa Bortolotti)
demarcation of science — see science: and pseudo-science
global (Jonathan Kuyper)
Democritus (Sylvia Berryman)
Aristotle’s theory of — see Aristotle, General Topics: logic
medieval theories of (John Longeway)
demonstratives — see indexicals
denotation — see reference
deontological ethics — see ethics: deontological
dependence, ontological (Tuomas E. Tahko and E. Jonathan Lowe)
depiction (John Hyman and Katerina Bantinaki)
Derrida, Jacques (Leonard Lawlor)
epistemology (Lex Newman)
ethics (Donald Rutherford)
life and works (Kurt Smith)
mathematics (Mary Domski)
method (Tarek R. Dika)
modal metaphysics (David Cunning)
ontological argument (Lawrence Nolan)
physics (Edward Slowik)
and the pineal gland (Gert-Jan Lokhorst)
theory of emotion — see emotion: 17th and 18th century theories of
theory of ideas (Kurt Smith)
descriptions (Peter Ludlow)
desert (Fred Feldman and Brad Skow)
Desgabets, Robert (Patricia Easton)
design, argument from — see teleology: teleological arguments for God’s existence
desire (Tim Schroeder)
determinates and determinables (Jessica Wilson)
ancient theories of — see freedom: ancient theories of
causal (Carl Hoefer)
evolution and development (Jan Baedke and Scott F. Gilbert)
theories of — see biological development: theories of
aesthetics (Tom Leddy and Kalle Puolakka)
moral philosophy (Elizabeth Anderson)
political philosophy (Matthew Festenstein)
Dharmakīrti (Tom Tillemans)
epistemology of — see visual thinking in mathematics: epistemology of
Dialectical School (Susanne Bobzien and Matthew Duncombe)
dialectics, Hegel’s — see Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich: dialectics
dialetheism (Graham Priest, Francesco Berto, and Zach Weber)
Diderot, Denis (Charles T. Wolfe and J.B. Shank)
Dietrich of Freiberg (Markus Führer)
digital art, philosophy of (Katherine Thomson-Jones and Shelby Moser)
dignity (Remy Debes)
Dilthey, Wilhelm (Rudolf Makkreel)
Diodorus Cronus (Matthew Duncombe)
Diogenes Laertius — see doxography of ancient philosophy
Dionysius the Areopagite — see Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite
dirty hands, the problem of (C.A.J. Coady)
critical disability theory (Melinda C. Hall)
definitions and models (David Wasserman and Sean Aas)
feminist perspectives on — see feminist philosophy, topics: perspectives on disability
health, well-being, personal relationships (David Wasserman, Adrienne Asch, Jeffrey Blustein, and Daniel Putnam)
and health care rationing (Jerome Bickenbach)
and justice (Daniel Putnam, David Wasserman, Jeffrey Blustein, and Adrienne Asch)
moral — see moral disagreement
discourse representation theory (Bart Geurts, David I. Beaver, and Emar Maier)
discrimination (Andrew Altman)
disease — see health
disjunction (Maria Aloni)
dispositions (Sungho Choi and Michael Fara)
Dissoi Logoi — see Sophists, The
and empirical moral psychology (Christian B. Miller)
international — see justice: international distributive
religious — see religious diversity
command theory — see voluntarism, theological
foreknowledge and free will — see free will: divine foreknowledge and
freedom — see freedom: divine
hiddenness — see hiddenness of God
illumination (Robert Pasnau)
providence — see providence, divine
revelation — see revelation, divine
simplicity — see simplicity: divine
doing vs. allowing harm (Fiona Woollard and Frances Howard-Snyder)
domestic partnership and marriage — see marriage and domestic partnership
domination (Christopher McCammon)
donation and sale of human eggs and sperm (Reuven Brandt, Stephen Wilkinson, and Nicola Williams)
donation of human organs (Martin Wilkinson and Stephen Wilkinson)
double consciousness (John P. Pittman)
double effect, doctrine of (Alison McIntyre)
Douglass, Frederick (Ronald Sundstrom)
doxography of ancient philosophy (Jaap Mansfeld)
dreams and dreaming (Jennifer M. Windt)
dualism (Howard Robinson)
Du Bois, W.E.B. (Robert Gooding-Williams)
Du Bos, Jean-Baptiste (James O. Young and Margaret Cameron)
Duhem, Pierre (Roger Ariew)
Dunbar, James — see Scottish Philosophy: in the 18th Century
Duns Scotus, John (Thomas Williams)
Dutch book arguments (Susan Vineberg)
dynamic epistemic logic — see logic: dynamic epistemic
dynamic semantics — see semantics: dynamic

E [jump to top]

Early Modern India, analytic philosophy in (Jonardon Ganeri)
Eckhart, Meister — see Meister Eckhart
ecological genetics — see genetics: ecological
biodiversity (Daniel P. Faith)
conservation biology — see conservation biology
in early modern philosophy (Margaret Schabas)
philosophy of (Daniel M. Hausman)
Ramsey and intergenerational welfare economics — see Ramsey, Frank: and intergenerational welfare economics
economics [normative] and economic justice (Marc Fleurbaey)
education, philosophy of (Harvey Siegel, D.C. Phillips, and Eamonn Callan)
Edwards, Jonathan (William Wainwright)
egalitarianism (Richard Arneson)
egoism (Robert Shaver)
Ehrenfels, Christian von (Robin Rollinger and Carlo Ierna)
the hole argument — see space and time: the hole argument
philosophy of science (Don A. Howard and Marco Giovanelli)
Elias (Christian Wildberg)
Elisabeth, Princess of Bohemia (Lisa Shapiro)
emergent properties (Timothy O’Connor)
Emerson, Ralph Waldo (Russell Goodman)
17th and 18th century theories of (Amy M. Schmitter)
in Early Chinese philosophy — see Chinese Philosophy: emotions in early Chinese Philosophy
in the Christian tradition (Robert Roberts)
medieval theories of (Simo Knuuttila)
responses to fiction — see fiction: emotional responses to
empathy (Karsten Stueber)
Empedocles (K. Scarlett Kingsley and Richard Parry)
altruism — see altruism: empirical approaches
character, moral — see character, moral: empirical approaches
psychology of normative cognition — see normative cognition, psychology of
ancient and medieval (Gregory W. Dawes)
constructive — see constructive empiricism
logical (Richard Creath)
Enlightenment (William Bristow)
entailment — see logical consequence
and information processing — see information processing: and thermodynamic entropy
envy (Justin D’Arms)
Epictetus (Margaret Graver)
Epicurus (David Konstan)
epiphenomenalism (William Robinson)
episteme and techne [= scientific knowledge and expertise] (Richard Parry)
epistemic basing relation — see basing relation, epistemic
epistemic closure (Steven Luper)
epistemic paradoxes (Roy Sorensen)
epistemic self-doubt — see self-doubt, epistemic
epistemic utility arguments for epistemic norms (Richard Pettigrew)
Bayesian (Hanti Lin)
contextualism in — see contextualism, epistemic
evolutionary (Michael Bradie and William Harms)
feminist — see feminist philosophy, interventions: epistemology and philosophy of science
in classical Indian philosophy — see Indian Philosophy (Classical): epistemology
in Latin America (Diego Machuca)
moral — see moral epistemology
moral, a priorism in — see moral epistemology: a priorism in
naturalism in (Patrick Rysiew)
reliabilist — see reliabilist epistemology
social (Cailin O’Connor, Sanford Goldberg, and Alvin Goldman)
social feminist — see feminist philosophy, interventions: social epistemology
virtue (John Turri, Mark Alfano, and John Greco)
epistemology, formal (Jonathan Weisberg)
epsilon calculus (Jeremy Avigad and Richard Zach)
of educational opportunity (Liam Shields, Anne Newman, and Debra Satz)
of opportunity (Gideon Elford)
equivalence of mass and energy (Francisco Fernflores)
Erasmus, Desiderius (Erika Rummel and Eric MacPhail)
ergodic hierarchy (Roman Frigg, Joseph Berkovitz, and Fred Kronz)
Eriugena, John Scottus (Dermot Moran and Adrian Guiu)
essence, real — see Locke, John: on real essence
essentialism — see essential vs. accidental properties
essential vs. accidental properties (Teresa Robertson Ishii and Philip Atkins)
eternity, in Christian thought (Natalja Deng)
actualism and possibilism — see actualism and possibilism in ethics
ancient (Richard Parry and Harald Thorsrud)
of belief — see belief, ethics of
business (Jeffrey Moriarty)
Chinese — see Chinese Philosophy: ethics
deontological (Larry Alexander and Michael Moore)
environmental (Andrew Brennan and Norva Y. S. Lo)
feminist — see feminist philosophy, interventions: ethics
in Indian Buddhism (Charles Goodman and Aaron Schultz)
internet research (Elizabeth A. Buchanan and Michael Zimmer)
natural law tradition (Mark Murphy)
and personal identity — see personal identity: and ethics
search engines and (Herman Tavani and Michael Zimmer)
and social networking — see social networking and ethics
thick concepts — see thick ethical concepts
utilitarian — see consequentialism
virtue (Rosalind Hursthouse and Glen Pettigrove)
ethics, African — see African Philosophy: ethics
phenomenological approaches to ethics and information technology — see information technology: phenomenological approaches to ethics and
advance directives and substitute decision-making — see advance directives
chimeras, human/non-human (Robert Streiffer)
clinical research (David Wendler)
cloning — see cloning
decision-making capacity — see decision-making capacity
disability — see disability: definitions and models
disease and health, concepts of — see health
the donation and sale of human eggs and sperm — see donation and sale of human eggs and sperm
the donation of human organs — see donation of human organs
human enhancement — see human enhancement
informed consent — see informed consent
justice, inequality, and health (Douglas MacKay and Gopal Sreenivasan)
justice and access to health care (Norman Daniels)
pregnancy, birth, and medicine — see pregnancy, birth, and medicine
privacy and medicine (Anita Allen)
public health ethics — see public health: ethics
the sale of human organs — see sale of human organs
stem cell research (Andrew Siegel)
theory (Jennifer Flynn)
eudaimonia — see ethics: ancient
eugenics (Inmaculada de Melo-Martin and Sara Goering)
voluntary (Robert Young)
events (Roberto Casati and Achille Varzi)
the legal concept of (Hock Lai Ho)
scientific — see confirmation
evidence, higher-order (Sophie Horowitz)
concept of (Todd Calder)
kinds and origins (Andrew Chignell)
problem of (Michael Tooley)
concept before Darwin (Phillip Sloan)
cultural (Tim Lewens and Andrew Buskell)
from the Origin of Species to the Descent of Man (Phillip Sloan)
evolutionary ethics — see morality: and evolutionary biology
evolutionary game theory — see game theory: evolutionary
evolutionary psychology — see psychology: evolutionary
existence (Michael Nelson)
aesthetics — see aesthetics: existentialist
experience, aesthetic — see aesthetic experience
experimental moral philosophy (Mark Alfano, Edouard Machery, Alexandra Plakias, and Don Loeb)
experimental philosophy (Joshua Knobe and Shaun Nichols)
in biology — see biology: experiment in
in physics — see physics: experiment in
mathematical — see mathematical: explanation
metaphysics — see metaphysical explanation
scientific — see scientific explanation
exploitation (Matt Zwolinski, Benjamin Ferguson, and Alan Wertheimer)
and self-knowledge (T. Parent)
externalism about the mind (Mark Rowlands, Joe Lau, and Max Deutsch)
extrinsic — see intrinsic vs. extrinsic properties
Ezra, Abraham Ibn — see Ibn Ezra, Abraham

F [jump to top]

facts (Kevin Mulligan and Fabrice Correia)
faith (John Bishop and Daniel J. McKaughan)
Falaquera, Shem Tov Ibn (Steve Harvey)
fallacies (Hans Hansen)
Fanon, Frantz (John Drabinski)
fatalism (Hugh Rice)
Fechner, Gustav Theodor (Frederick C. Beiser)
federalism (Andreas Follesdal)
Feigl, Herbert (Matthias Neuber)
Fell, Margaret (Jacqueline Broad)
feminist philosophy (Noëlle McAfee, Ann Garry, Anita Superson, Heidi Grasswick, and Serene Khader)
analytic philosophy (Ann Garry)
continental philosophy (Dilek Huseyinzadegan, Jana McAuliffe, Jameliah Inga Shorter-Bourhanou, B. Tamsin Kimoto, Ege Selin Islekel, Marie Draz, and Erika Brown)
intersections between analytic and continental philosophy (Georgia Warnke)
intersections between pragmatist and continental philosophy (Shannon Sullivan and Erin Tarver)
Latin American feminism (Stephanie Rivera Berruz)
pragmatism (Judy Whipps and Danielle Lake)
psychoanalytic philosophy (Emily Zakin and Claudia Leeb)
aesthetics (Carolyn Korsmeyer and Peg Brand Weiser)
bioethics (Jackie Leach Scully)
environmental philosophy (Karen J. Warren)
epistemology and philosophy of science (Elizabeth Anderson)
ethics (Kathryn Norlock)
history of philosophy (Charlotte Witt and Lisa Shapiro)
liberal feminism (Amy R. Baehr)
metaphysics (Sally Haslanger and Ásta)
moral psychology (Anita Superson)
philosophy of biology (Carla Fehr and Letitia Meynell)
philosophy of language (Jennifer Saul, Esa Diaz-Leon, and Samia Hesni)
philosophy of law (Leslie Francis and Patricia Smith)
philosophy of religion (Nancy Frankenberry)
political philosophy (Noëlle McAfee and Katie B. Howard)
social epistemology (Heidi Grasswick)
perspectives on argumentation (Catherine E. Hundleby)
perspectives on autonomy (Natalie Stoljar)
perspectives on class and work (Ann Ferguson, Rosemary Hennessy, and Mechthild Nagel)
perspectives on disability (Anita Silvers)
perspectives on globalization (Serena Parekh and Shelley Wilcox)
perspectives on objectification (Evangelia (Lina) Papadaki)
perspectives on power (Amy Allen)
perspectives on rape (Rebecca Whisnant)
perspectives on reproduction and the family (Debra Satz)
perspectives on science (Sharon Crasnow)
perspectives on sex and gender (Mari Mikkola)
perspectives on sex markets (Laurie Shrage)
perspectives on the body (Kathleen Lennon and Clara Fischer)
perspectives on the self (Ellie Anderson, Cynthia Willett, and Diana Meyers)
perspectives on trans issues (Talia Bettcher)
Ferguson, Adam — see Scottish Philosophy: in the 18th Century
Ferrier, James — see Scottish Philosophy: in the 19th century
Feuerbach, Ludwig Andreas (Todd Gooch)
Feyerabend, Paul (John Preston)
Fichte, Johann Gottlieb (Dan Breazeale)
Ficino, Marsilio (Christopher S. Celenza)
emotional responses to (Katie Tullmann)
fictional entities (Fred Kroon and Alberto Voltolini)
in the philosophy of mathematics — see mathematics, philosophy of: fictionalism
modal (Daniel Nolan)
fideism (Richard Amesbury)
film, philosophy of (Thomas Wartenberg)
finance, philosophy of money and — see money and finance, philosophy of
Findlay, J.N. (Douglas Lackey)
fine-tuning (Simon Friederich)
Fitch’s paradox of knowability (Berit Brogaard and Joe Salerno)
fitness (Alexander Rosenberg and Frederic Bouchard)
fitting attitude theories of value (Christopher Howard)
FitzRalph, Richard (Michael W. Dunne)
Fleck, Ludwik (Wojciech Sady)
as mental simulation (Luca Barlassina and Robert M. Gordon)
as a theory (Daniel Hutto and Ian Ravenscroft)
Foot, Philippa (John Hacker-Wright)
foreknowledge, divine — see free will: divine foreknowledge and
forgiveness (Paul M. Hughes and Brandon Warmke)
formal epistemology — see epistemology, formal
in the philosophy of mathematics — see mathematics, philosophy of: formalism
formal representations of belief — see belief, formal representations of
Forms [Platonic] — see Plato: middle period metaphysics and epistemology
form vs. matter (Thomas Ainsworth)
Foucault, Michel (Gary Gutting and Johanna Oksala)
four dimensionalism — see temporal parts
frame problem (Murray Shanahan)
Francis of Marchia (Christopher Schabel)
Frankfurt School — see critical theory
ancient theories of (Tim O’Keefe)
of association (Kimberley Brownlee and David Jenkins)
divine (William Rowe)
positive and negative — see liberty: positive and negative
of speech (Jeffrey W. Howard)
free rider problem (Russell Hardin and Garrett Cullity)
(nondeterministic) theories of — see incompatibilism: (nondeterministic) theories of free will
divine foreknowledge and (David Hunt and Linda Zagzebski)
controversy with Hilbert (Patricia Blanchette)
logic (Roy Cook)
theorem and foundations for arithmetic (Edward N. Zalta)
friendship (Bennett Helm)
Fuller, Margaret (Daniel Howe)
in biology — see teleology: teleological notions in biology
propositional — see propositional function
recursive — see recursive functions
functionalism (Janet Levin)
fundamentality (Tuomas E. Tahko)

G [jump to top]

aesthetics (Nicholas Davey and Cynthia Nielsen)
Galen (P. N. Singer)
Galileo Galilei (Peter Machamer and David Marshall Miller)
abstraction and completeness (Felice Cardone)
logic and — see logic: and games
logics for analyzing — see logic: for analyzing games
epistemic foundations of (Eric Pacuit and Olivier Roy)
and ethics (Keith Hankins and Peter Vanderschraaf)
evolutionary (J. McKenzie Alexander)
Gaṅgeśa (Stephen Phillips)
Gassendi, Pierre (Saul Fisher)
Gelukpa [dge lugs pa] (Douglas Duckworth)
gene (Robert Meunier)
generalized quantifiers (Dag Westerståhl)
early philosophical interpretations of (Thomas A. Ryckman)
generic generalizations (Sarah-Jane Leslie and Adam Lerner)
genetic drift (Roberta L. Millstein)
ecological (Michael Wade)
genotype/phenotype distinction (Peter Taylor and Richard Lewontin)
molecular (Ken Waters)
population (Samir Okasha)
genomics and postgenomics (Stephan Guttinger and John Dupré)
epistemology of (Jeremy Gray and José Ferreirós)
finitism in (Jean Paul Van Bendegem)
in the 19th century (Roberto Torretti)
Gerard, Alexander — see Scottish Philosophy: in the 18th Century
in the 18th century, prior to Kant (Corey Dyck and Brigitte Sassen)
Gersonides (Tamar Rudavsky)
Giles of Rome (Roberto Lambertini)
given, the — see justification, epistemic: foundationalist theories of
global democracy — see democracy: global
globalization (William Scheuerman)
global justice — see justice: global
and other necessary beings (Matthew Davidson)
and other ultimates (Jeanine Diller)
pragmatic — see pragmatic arguments and belief in God
cosmological — see cosmological argument
Descartes’ ontological — see Descartes, René: ontological argument
moral arguments (C. Stephen Evans and David Baggett)
ontological — see ontological arguments
teleological — see teleology: teleological arguments for God’s existence
Godfrey of Fontaines (John Wippel)
Godwin, William (Mark Philp)
incompleteness theorems (Panu Raatikainen)
aesthetics (Alessandro Giovannelli)
goodness, perfect (Mark Murphy)
goods, public — see public goods
Gorampa [go rams pa] (Constance Kassor)
categorial — see grammar: typelogical
typelogical (Michael Moortgat)
Gramsci, Antonio (James Martin)
gratitude (Tony Manela)
Green, Thomas Hill (David Brink)
Gregory of Rimini (Christopher Schabel and Charles Girard)
Grice, Paul (Richard E. Grandy and Richard Warner)
Grosseteste, Robert (Neil Lewis)
Grotius, Hugo (Jon Miller)
grounding, metaphysical (Ricki Bliss and Kelly Trogdon)
group rights — see rights: group

H [jump to top]

Habermas, Jürgen (James Gordon Finlayson and Dafydd Huw Rees)
haecceitism (Sam Cowling)
medieval theories of (Richard Cross)
Halevi, Judah (Barry Kogan)
Hamann, Johann Georg (Gwen Griffith-Dickson)
Hamilton, William — see Scottish Philosophy: in the 19th century
happiness (Dan Haybron)
Hare, Richard Mervyn (Anthony Price)
Hartley, David (Richard Allen)
Hartmann, Nicolai (Keith Peterson and Roberto Poli)
Hartshorne, Charles (Dan Dombrowski)
hate speech (Luvell Anderson and Michael Barnes)
Hayek, Friedrich (David Schmidtz and Peter Boettke)
health (Dominic Murphy)
heart-mind, in Chinese Philosophy — see Chinese Philosophy: mind (heart-mind)
heaven and hell in Christian thought (Thomas Talbott)
hedonism (Andrew Moore)
aesthetics (Stephen Houlgate)
dialectics (Julie E. Maybee)
social and political philosophy (Thom Brooks)
aesthetics (Iain Thomson)
hell and heaven in Christian thought — see heaven and hell in Christian thought
Helmholtz, Hermann von (Lydia Patton)
Hempel, Carl (James Fetzer)
Henry, Michel (Frédéric Seyler)
Henry of Ghent (Pasquale Porro)
Heraclitus (Daniel W. Graham)
Herbart, Johann Friedrich (Alan Kim)
Herder, Johann Gottfried von (Michael Forster)
inheritance systems — see inheritance systems
hermeneutics (Theodore George)
Heytesbury, William (Miroslav Hanke and Elzbieta Jung)
hiddenness of God (Daniel Howard-Snyder and Adam Green)
controversy with Frege — see Frege, Gottlob: controversy with Hilbert
program in the foundations of mathematics (Richard Zach)
Hippias — see Sophists, The
history, philosophy of (Daniel Little)
moral and political philosophy (Sharon A. Lloyd and Susanne Sreedhar)
philosophy of science (Marcus P. Adams)
Holbach, Paul-Henri Thiry (Baron) d’ (Michael LeBuffe)
holes (Roberto Casati and Achille Varzi)
Holkot [Holcot], Robert (Hester Gelber and John T. Slotemaker)
Home, Henry [Lord Kames] — see Scottish Philosophy: in the 18th Century
homosexuality (Brent Pickett)
Hook, Sidney (David Sidorsky and Robert Talisse)
hope (Claudia Bloeser and Titus Stahl)
Horkheimer, Max (J.C. Berendzen)
human enhancement (Eric Juengst and Daniel Moseley)
human genome project (Lisa Gannett)
civic — see civic humanism
human nature (Neil Roughley)
human rights — see rights: human
human test subjects — see ethics, biomedical: clinical research
Humboldt, Alexander von (Dalia Nassar)
Humboldt, Wilhelm von (Kurt Mueller-Vollmer and Markus Messling)
aesthetics (Theodore Gracyk)
and Kant on causality — see Kant, Immanuel: and Hume on causality
and Kant on morality — see Kant, Immanuel: and Hume on morality
moral philosophy (Rachel Cohon)
Newtonianism and Anti-Newtonianism (Eric Schliesser and Tamás Demeter)
on free will (Paul Russell)
on religion (Paul Russell and Anders Kraal)
humility — see modesty and humility
humor, philosophy of (John Morreall)
Husserl, Edmund (Christian Beyer)
Hutcheson, Francis — see Scottish Philosophy: in the 18th Century
hybrid logic — see logic: hybrid
hyperintensionality (Francesco Berto and Daniel Nolan)

I [jump to top]

Iamblichus (Riccardo Chiaradonna and Adrien Lecerf)
Ibn ‘Arabî (William Chittick)
Ibn Bâjja [Avempace] (Josep Puig Montada)
Ibn Daud, Abraham (Resianne Fontaine and Amira Eran)
Ibn Ezra, Abraham (Tzvi Langermann)
Ibn Falaquera, Shem Tov — see Falaquera, Shem Tov Ibn
Ibn Gabirol, Solomon [Avicebron] (Sarah Pessin)
Ibn Kammūna (Tzvi Langermann)
natural philosophy (Josep Puig Montada)
logic (Riccardo Strobino)
metaphysics (Olga Lizzini)
natural philosophy (Jon McGinnis)
Ibn Taymiyya (Jon Hoover)
Ibn Tibbon, Samuel — see Tibbon, Samuel Ibn
idealism (Paul Guyer and Rolf-Peter Horstmann)
of indiscernibles (Peter Forrest)
over time (Andre Gallois)
personal — see personal identity
relative (Harry Deutsch and Pawel Garbacz)
transworld (Penelope Mackie and Mark Jago)
identity politics (Cressida Heyes)
identity theory of mind — see mind/brain identity theory
ideology, law and — see law: and ideology
idiolects (Alex Barber and Eduardo Garcia Ramirez)
Ikhwân al-Safâ’ (Carmela Baffioni)
imagery, mental — see mental imagery
imagination (Shen-yi Liao and Tamar Gendler)
imaginative resistance (Emine Hande Tuna)
imitation game — see Turing test
immigration (Christopher Heath Wellman)
immortality — see afterlife
immunology, philosophy of (Bartlomiej Swiatczak and Alfred I. Tauber)
immutability (Brian Leftow)
impartiality (Troy Jollimore)
optimality theoretic and game theoretic approaches (Robert van Rooij and Michael Franke)
implicit bias — see bias, implicit
impossible worlds (Francesco Berto and Mark Jago)
of scientific theories (Eric Oberheim and Paul Hoyningen-Huene)
of values — see value: incommensurable
incomparable values — see value: incommensurable
(nondeterministic) theories of free will (Randolph Clarke, Justin Capes, and Philip Swenson)
arguments for (Kadri Vihvelin)
indexicals (David Braun)
concept of emotion (Joerg Tuske)
epistemology (Stephen Phillips and Anand Vaidya)
language and testimony (Madhav Deshpande)
literal-nonliteral distinction (Malcolm Keating)
logic (Brendan Gillon)
naturalism (Amita Chatterjee)
perceptual experience and concepts (Monima Chadha)
personhood (Monima Chadha)
individualism, methodological (Joseph Heath)
individuals, biological — see biological individuals
problem of (Leah Henderson)
inductive logic — see logic: inductive
inequality — see equality
inertial systems — see space and time: inertial frames
inference to the best explanation — see abduction
infinite regress arguments (Ross Cameron)
infinitesimals — see continuity and infinitesimals
infinity (Kenny Easwaran, Alan Hájek, Paolo Mancosu, and Graham Oppy)
informal logic — see logic: informal
biological (Peter Godfrey-Smith and Kim Sterelny)
and logic — see logic: and information
quantum entanglement and — see quantum theory: quantum entanglement and information
semantic conceptions of (Sebastian Sequoiah-Grayson and Luciano Floridi)
and thermodynamic entropy (Owen Maroney)
and moral values (John Sullins)
phenomenological approaches to ethics and (Lucas Introna)
and privacy (Jeroen van den Hoven, Martijn Blaauw, Wolter Pieters, and Martijn Warnier)
informed consent (Nir Eyal)
Ingarden, Roman (Amie Thomasson)
inherence — see substance
inheritance systems (Ehud Lamm)
innate/acquired distinction (Paul Griffiths and Stefan Linquist)
and contemporary theories of cognition (Jerry Samet and Deborah Zaitchik)
historical controversies (Jerry Samet)
and language (Fiona Cowie)
inner speech (Daniel Gregory and Peter Langland-Hassan)
insolubles [= insolubilia ] (Paul Vincent Spade and Stephen Read)
instrumental rationality — see rationality: instrumental
integrity (Damian Cox, Marguerite La Caze, and Michael Levine)
intelligent design, theory of — see creationism
intensional transitive verbs (Graeme Forbes)
intention (Kieran Setiya)
collective (David P. Schweikard and Hans Bernhard Schmid)
consciousness and — see consciousness: and intentionality
in ancient philosophy (Victor Caston)
phenomenal (David Bourget and Angela Mendelovici)
internal vs. external reasons for action — see reasons for action: internal vs. external
international law, philosophy of (John Tasioulas and Guglielmo Verdirame)
internet research ethics — see ethics: internet research
intrinsic vs. extrinsic properties (Dan Marshall and Brian Weatherson)
introspection (Eric Schwitzgebel)
intuition (Joel Pust)
ethics — see moral intuitionism
in the philosophy of mathematics — see mathematics, philosophy of: intuitionism
development of — see logic, history of: intuitionistic logic
intuitionistic type theory — see type theory: intuitionistic
inverted qualia — see qualia: inverted
Israeli, Isaac (Leonard Levin, R. David Walker, and Shalom Sadik)
Italos, John (András Kraft)

J [jump to top]

Jacobi, Friedrich Heinrich (Paolo Livieri and George di Giovanni)
Jaina Philosophy (Marie-Hélène Gorisse)
James, William (Russell Goodman)
James of Viterbo (Antoine Côté)
aesthetics (Graham Parkes and Adam Loughnane)
Confucian (John Tucker)
Kokugaku School [Native Japan Studies School] (Gideon Fujiwara and Peter Nosco)
Kūkai (John Krummel)
Kyoto School (Bret W. Davis)
Nishida Kitarō — see Nishida Kitarō
Pure Land (Dennis Hirota)
Watsuji Tetsurō — see Watsuji Tetsurō
Zen Buddhism (Shigenori Nagatomo)
Jaspers, Karl (Chris Thornhill and Ronny Miron)
Jayarāśi (Piotr Balcerowicz)
Jefferson, Thomas (M. Andrew Holowchak)
Jevons, William Stanley (Bert Mosselmans)
John of Salisbury (Karen Bollermann and Cary Nederman)
Jones, Emily Elizabeth Constance (Gary Ostertag)
Judah Halevi — see Halevi, Judah
aesthetic — see aesthetics: aesthetic judgment
judgment aggregation and belief merging — see belief merging and judgment aggregation
jury theorems (Franz Dietrich and Kai Spiekermann)
and access to health care — see ethics, biomedical: justice and access to health care
and bad luck — see luck: justice and bad luck
climate (Simon Caney)
and disability — see disability: and justice
distributive (Julian Lamont and Christi Favor)
distributive justice and empirical moral psychology — see distributive justice: and empirical moral psychology
economic — see economics and economic justice
global (Gillian Brock and Nicole Hassoun)
inequality and health — see ethics, biomedical: justice, inequality, and health
intergenerational (Lukas Meyer)
international distributive (Michael Blake and Patrick Taylor Smith)
retributive (Alec Walen)
territorial — see territorial rights and justice
transitional (Nir Eisikovits)
as a virtue (Mark LeBar)
a priori — see a priori justification and knowledge
coherentist theories of (Erik Olsson)
foundationalist theories of (Ali Hasan and Richard Fumerton)
internalist vs. externalist conceptions of (George Pappas)
reliabilism — see reliabilist epistemology
transmission of — see transmission of justification and warrant
public (Kevin Vallier)

K [jump to top]

account of reason (Garrath Williams)
aesthetics and teleology (Hannah Ginsborg)
conceptualism/nonconceptualism (Colin McLear)
critique of metaphysics (Michelle Grier)
and Hume on causality (Graciela De Pierris and Michael Friedman)
and Hume on morality (Eric Entrican Wilson and Lara Denis)
and Leibniz (Catherine Wilson)
moral philosophy (Robert Johnson and Adam Cureton)
philosophical development (Martin Schönfeld and Michael Thompson)
philosophy of mathematics (Lisa Shabel)
philosophy of religion (Lawrence Pasternack and Courtney Fugate)
philosophy of science (Eric Watkins and Marius Stan)
social and political philosophy (Frederick Rauscher)
theory of judgment (Robert Hanna)
transcendental arguments (Derk Pereboom)
transcendental idealism (Nicholas F. Stang)
view of mind and consciousness of self (Andrew Brook and Julian Wuerth)
views on space and time (Andrew Janiak)
Kaspi, Joseph (Hannah Kasher and Moshe Kahan)
Kepler, Johannes (Daniel A. Di Liscia)
Kierkegaard, Søren (John Lippitt and C. Stephen Evans)
killing vs. letting die — see doing vs. allowing harm
Kilvington, Richard (Elzbieta Jung)
Kilwardby, Robert (José Filipe Silva)
analysis of (Jonathan Jenkins Ichikawa and Matthias Steup)
by acquaintance vs. description (Ali Hasan and Richard Fumerton)
self- — see self-knowledge
knowledge, value of (Duncan Pritchard, John Turri, and J. Adam Carter)
knowledge how (Carlotta Pavese)
Kochen-Specker theorem — see quantum mechanics: Kochen-Specker theorem
Kokugaku (Native Japan Studies) School — see Japanese Philosophy: Kokugaku School
Confucianism (Kevin N. Cawley)
Kuhn, Thomas (Alexander Bird)
Kumārila (Daniel Arnold)
Kūkai — see Japanese Philosophy: Kūkai

L [jump to top]

Lacan, Jacques (Adrian Johnston)
La Forge, Louis de (Andrea Sangiacomo and Desmond Clarke)
Lakatos, Imre (Alan Musgrave and Charles Pigden)
lambda calculus, the (Jesse Alama and Johannes Korbmacher)
Lambert of Auxerre (Sara L. Uckelman)
Lange, Friedrich Albert (Nadeem J. Z. Hussain and Lydia Patton)
language of thought hypothesis (Michael Rescorla)
Laozi (Alan Chan)
large cardinals and determinacy — see set theory: large cardinals and determinacy
analytic philosophy in (Diana Ines Perez and Santiago Echeverri)
epistemology — see epistemology: in Latin America
feminism — see feminist philosophy, approaches: Latin American feminism
liberalism — see liberalism: in Latin America
metaphilosophical foundations (Susana Nuccetelli)
philosophy of biology — see philosophy of biology: in Latin America
philosophy of science — see philosophy of science: in Latin America
skepticism — see skepticism: in Latin America
Latinx Philosophy (Manuel Vargas)
and ideology (Christine Sypnowich)
and language (Timothy Endicott)
limits of — see limits of law
nature of — see nature of law: natural law theories
rule of — see rule of law and procedural fairness
ceteris paribus (Alexander Reutlinger, Gerhard Schurz, Andreas Hüttemann, and Siegfried Jaag)
learning, perceptual (Kevin Connolly)
learning theory, formal (Oliver Schulte)
Lefèvre d’Étaples, Jacques (Richard J. Oosterhoff)
legal interpretation (Mark Greenberg)
legal obligation and authority (Massimo Renzo and Leslie Green)
economic analysis of law (Lewis Kornhauser)
legal positivism — see nature of law: legal positivism
legal probabilism (Rafal Urbaniak and Marcello Di Bello)
legal punishment — see punishment, legal
interpretation and coherence in (Julie Dickson)
precedent and analogy in (Grant Lamond)
legal rights (Ori Herstein)
legitimacy, political (Fabienne Peter)
Le Grand, Antoine (Patricia Easton)
ethics (Andrew Youpa)
Exoteric Philosophy (John Whipple)
influence on 19th century logic (Volker Peckhaus)
modal metaphysics (Brandon C. Look)
on causation (Marc Bobro)
on the problem of evil (Michael J. Murray, Sean Greenberg, and Thomas Feeney)
philosophy of mind (Mark Kulstad and Laurence Carlin)
philosophy of physics (Jeffrey K. McDonough)
Leibowitz, Yeshayahu (Daniel Rynhold)
Leone Ebreo — see Abrabanel, Judah
Leśniewski, Stanisław (Peter Simons)
Leucippus (Sylvia Berryman)
levels of organization in biology (Markus I. Eronen and Daniel Stephen Brooks)
Levinas, Emmanuel (Bettina Bergo)
Lewis, Clarence Irving (Bruce Hunter)
metaphysics (Ned Hall, Brian Rabern, and Wolfgang Schwarz)
liar paradox (Jc Beall, Michael Glanzberg, and David Ripley)
liberal feminism — see feminist philosophy, interventions: liberal feminism
in Latin America (Faviola Rivera)
liberation, philosophy of (Eduardo Mendieta)
libertarianism (Bas van der Vossen and Billy Christmas)
positive and negative (Ian Carter)
meaning of (Thaddeus Metz)
lifeworld — see Husserl, Edmund
limits of law (John Stanton-Ife)
linear logic — see logic: linear
computational (Lenhart Schubert)
philosophy of (Barbara C. Scholz, Francis Jeffry Pelletier, Geoffrey K. Pullum, and Ryan Nefdt)
Lipsius, Justus (Jan Papy)
living wills — see advance directives
Llull, Ramon (Ernesto Priani)
location and mereology (Cody Gilmore, Claudio Calosi, and Damiano Costa)
Locke, Alain LeRoy (Jacoby Adeshei Carter and Corey Barnes)
moral philosophy (Patricia Sheridan)
on freedom (Samuel Rickless)
on personal identity (Jessica Gordon-Roth)
on real essence (Jan-Erik Jones)
philosophy of science (Hylarie Kochiras)
political philosophy (Alex Tuckness)
action (Krister Segerberg, John-Jules Meyer, and Marcus Kracht)
algebraic propositional (Ramon Jansana)
ancient (Susanne Bobzien)
of belief revision (Sven Ove Hansson)
classical (Stewart Shapiro and Teresa Kouri Kissel)
combinatory (Katalin Bimbó)
combining (Walter Carnielli and Marcelo Esteban Coniglio)
conditionals (Paul Egré and Hans Rott)
connexive (Heinrich Wansing)
deontic (Paul McNamara and Frederik Van De Putte)
dependence (Pietro Galliani)
dialogical (Nicolas Clerbout and Zoe McConaughey)
dynamic epistemic (Alexandru Baltag and Bryan Renne)
epistemic (Rasmus Rendsvig, John Symons, and Yanjing Wang)
for analyzing games (Johan van Benthem and Dominik Klein)
for analyzing power in normal form games (Paolo Turrini and Thomas Ågotnes)
free (John Nolt)
fuzzy (Petr Cintula, Christian G. Fermüller, and Carles Noguera)
and games (Wilfrid Hodges and Jouko Väänänen)
hybrid (Torben Braüner)
in classical Indian philosophy — see Indian Philosophy (Classical): logic
independence friendly (Tero Tulenheimo)
inductive (James Hawthorne)
infinitary (John L. Bell)
informal (Leo Groarke)
and information (Maricarmen Martinez and Sebastian Sequoiah-Grayson)
intensional (Melvin Fitting)
intuitionistic (Joan Moschovakis)
justification (Sergei Artemov and Melvin Fitting)
linear (Roberto Di Cosmo and Dale Miller)
logic-based artificial intelligence — see artificial intelligence: logic-based
many-sorted (María Manzano and Víctor Aranda)
many-valued (Siegfried Gottwald)
of mass expressions — see mass expressions: logic of
modal (James Garson)
natural deduction systems in — see natural deduction systems in logic
non-monotonic (Christian Strasser and G. Aldo Antonelli)
paraconsistent (Graham Priest, Koji Tanaka, and Zach Weber)
and probability (Lorenz Demey, Barteld Kooi, and Joshua Sack)
propositional (Curtis Franks)
propositional dynamic (Nicolas Troquard and Philippe Balbiani)
provability (Rineke (L.C.) Verbrugge)
relevance (Edwin Mares)
second-order and higher-order (Jouko Väänänen)
sentence connectives in — see connectives: sentence connectives in formal logic
substructural (Greg Restall)
temporal (Valentin Goranko and Antje Rumberg)
first-order logic (William Ewald)
intuitionistic logic (Mark van Atten)
modal logic (Roberta Ballarin)
proof theory — see proof theory: development of
set theory, early — see set theory: early development
logic, normative status of (Florian Steinberger)
Russell’s (Kevin Klement)
Wittgenstein’s — see Wittgenstein, Ludwig: logical atomism
algebraic propositional logic — see logic: algebraic propositional
logical constants (John MacFarlane)
logical constructions (Bernard Linsky)
logical empiricism — see empiricism: logical
logical form (Paul Pietroski)
logical pluralism (Gillian Russell and Christopher Blake-Turner)
logical truth (Mario Gómez-Torrente)
logic and ontology (Thomas Hofweber)
logicism and neologicism (Neil Tennant)
Lotze, Hermann (David Sullivan)
love (Bennett Helm)
loyalty (John Kleinig)
justice and bad luck (Kasper Lippert-Rasmussen)
moral (Dana K. Nelkin)
Lucretius (Simon Trépanier)
Lukács, Georg [György] (Titus Stahl)
Łukasiewicz, Jan (Peter Simons)
influence on philosophy (Robert Stern)
Luxemburg, Rosa (Lea Ypi)
Lvov-Warsaw School (Jan Woleński)
definition of (James Edwin Mahon)
Lyotard, Jean François (Peter Gratton)

M [jump to top]

Macaulay, Catharine (Karen Green)
Mach, Ernst (Paul Pojman)
Machiavelli, Niccolò (Cary Nederman)
macroevolution, philosophy of (Derek Turner and Joyce C. Havstad)
Madhyamaka (Richard Hayes)
Maimon, Salomon (Peter Thielke and Yitzhak Y. Melamed)
the influence of Islamic thought on (Sarah Pessin)
theory of ideas and vision in God (Lawrence Nolan)
deontic logic (Gert-Jan Lokhorst)
Mandeville, Bernard (Mikko Tolonen and Robin Douglass)
manipulation, ethics of (Robert Noggle)
many, problem of (Brian Weatherson)
Marcel, Gabriel (-Honoré) (Brian Treanor and Brendan Sweetman)
Marcus, Ruth Barcan (Roberta Ballarin)
Marcus Aurelius (Rachana Kamtekar)
Marcuse, Herbert (Arnold Farr)
Marinella, Lucrezia (Marguerite Deslauriers)
Maritain, Jacques (William Sweet)
markets (Lisa Herzog)
marriage and domestic partnership (Elizabeth Brake)
Marsilius of Inghen (Maarten Hoenen)
Marty, Anton (Robin Rollinger and Hynek Janousek)
Marx, Karl (Jonathan Wolff and David Leopold)
Marxism, analytical (David Leopold)
Masham, Lady Damaris (Sarah Hutton)
mass/energy equivalence — see equivalence of mass and energy
logic of (David Nicolas)
metaphysics of (Mark Steen)
material constitution (Ryan Wasserman)
eliminative (William Ramsey)
explanation (Paolo Mancosu, Francesca Poggiolesi, and Christopher Pincock)
style — see style: in mathematics
constructive (Douglas Bridges, Erik Palmgren, and Hajime Ishihara)
inconsistent (Chris Mortensen)
non-deductive methods in (Alan Baker)
Dedekind’s contributions to — see Dedekind, Richard: contributions to the foundations of mathematics
Hilbert’s program — see Hilbert, David: program in the foundations of mathematics
fictionalism (Mark Balaguer)
formalism (Alan Weir)
indispensability arguments in the (Mark Colyvan)
intuitionism (Rosalie Iemhoff)
Kant — see Kant, Immanuel: philosophy of mathematics
naturalism (Alexander Paseau)
nominalism (Otávio Bueno)
Platonism (Øystein Linnebo)
structuralism (Erich Reck and Georg Schiemer)
Wittgenstein — see Wittgenstein, Ludwig: philosophy of mathematics
McTaggart, John M. E. (Kris McDaniel)
Mead, George Herbert (Mitchell Aboulafia and Scott Taylor)
normativity of (Kathrin Glüer, Åsa Wikforss, and Marianna Ganapini)
of words (Luca Gasparri and Diego Marconi)
meaning, theories of (Jeff Speaks)
meaning holism (Henry Jackman)
means, treating persons as — see treating persons as means
in science (Eran Tal)
mechanism in science (Carl Craver and James Tabery)
medicine, philosophy of (Julian Reiss and Rachel A. Ankeny)
medicine: Chinese philosophy — see Chinese Philosophy: Chinese medicine
literary forms of (Eileen Sweeney)
political — see political philosophy: medieval
analogy — see analogy: medieval theories of
categories — see categories: medieval theories of
causation — see causation: medieval theories of
conscience — see conscience: medieval theories of
consequence — see consequence, medieval theories of
demonstration — see demonstration: medieval theories of
emotion — see emotion: medieval theories of
future contingents — see future contingents: medieval theories of
haecceity — see haecceity: medieval theories of
mental representation — see mental representation: in medieval philosophy
modality — see modality: medieval theories of
obligationes — see obligationes , medieval theories of
practical reason — see practical reason: medieval theories of
properties of terms — see terms, properties of: medieval theories of
relations — see relations: medieval theories of
singular terms — see singular terms: medieval theories of
syllogism — see syllogism: medieval theories of
transcendentals — see transcendentals, medieval theories of
Meinong, Alexius (Johann Marek)
Meister Eckhart (Amber L. Griffioen)
epistemological problems of (Matthew Frise)
Mencius (Bryan Van Norden)
Mendelssohn, Moses (Daniel Dahlstrom)
mental causation (David Robb, John Heil, and Sophie Gibb)
causal theories of (Fred Adams and Ken Aizawa)
externalism about the mind — see externalism about the mind
narrow (Curtis Brown)
nonconceptual (José Bermúdez and Arnon Cahen)
teleological theories of (Peter Schulte and Karen Neander)
mental disorder (Jennifer Radden)
mental illness — see mental disorder
mental imagery (Bence Nanay)
in medieval philosophy (Henrik Lagerlund)
and location — see location and mereology
medieval (Andrew Arlig)
meritocracy (Thomas Mulligan)
Merleau-Ponty, Maurice (Ted Toadvine)
Mersenne, Marin (Philippe Hamou)
metaepistemology (J. Adam Carter and Ernest Sosa)
metaethics (Geoff Sayre-McCord)
metaethics, normativity in (David Copp and Justin Morton)
metaphor (David Hills)
metaphysical explanation (Andrew Brenner, Anna-Sofia Maurin, Alexander Skiles, Robin Stenwall, and Naomi Thompson)
metaphysics (Peter van Inwagen, Meghan Sullivan, and Sara Bernstein)
Francisco Suárez — see Suárez, Francisco
methodological holism in the social sciences (Julie Zahle)
philosophy in (Guillermo Hurtado and Robert Eli Sanchez, Jr.)
microbiology, philosophy of (Maureen A. O’Malley and Emily C. Parke)
Mill, Harriet Taylor (Dale E. Miller)
Mill, James (Terence Ball and Antis Loizides)
moral and political philosophy (David Brink)
computational theory of (Michael Rescorla)
in Chinese Philosophy — see Chinese Philosophy: mind (heart-mind)
in Indian Buddhist Philosophy (Christian Coseru)
modularity of (Philip Robbins)
mind/brain identity theory (J. J. C. Smart)
miracles (Timothy McGrew and Robert Larmer)
modal epistemology — see modality: epistemology of
Descartes and — see Descartes, René: modal metaphysics
epistemology of (Antonella Mallozzi, Anand Vaidya, and Michael Wallner)
impossible worlds — see impossible worlds
Leibniz and — see Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm: modal metaphysics
modal fictionalism — see fictionalism: modal
necessary and sufficient conditions — see necessary and sufficient conditions
possible objects — see possible objects
possible worlds — see possible worlds
Spinoza and — see Spinoza, Baruch: modal metaphysics
varieties of (Boris Kment)
modern origins — see logic, history of: modal logic
philosophical aspects of multi-modal logic — see multi-modal logic, philosophical aspects of
modeling in the philosophy of science, agent-based (Dunja Šešelja)
models in science (Roman Frigg and Stephan Hartmann)
first-order (Wilfrid Hodges and Thomas Scanlon)
modesty and humility (Nicolas Bommarito)
Mohism — see Chinese Philosophy: Mohism
Mohist Canons — see Chinese Philosophy: Mohist Canons
molecular biology (Tudor Baetu, Monika Piotrowska, and James Tabery)
Molyneux’s problem (Marjolein Degenaar and Gert-Jan Lokhorst)
money and finance, philosophy of (Boudewijn de Bruin, Lisa Herzog, Martin O’Neill, and Joakim Sandberg)
anomalous — see anomalous monism
neutral — see neutral monism
Russellian (Torin Alter and Derk Pereboom)
monotheism (William Wainwright)
Montaigne, Michel de (Marc Foglia and Emiliano Ferrari)
Montesquieu, Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de (Hilary Bok)
moral philosophy (Thomas Hurka)
moral/conventional distinction (Edouard Machery and Stephen Stich)
moral anti-realism (Richard Joyce)
moral character — see character, moral
moral cognition, psychology of — see normative cognition, psychology of
moral cognitivism vs. non-cognitivism — see cognitivism vs. non-cognitivism, moral
moral decision-making under uncertainty (Christian Tarsney, Teruji Thomas, and William MacAskill)
moral dilemmas (Terrance McConnell)
moral disagreement (Folke Tersman)
a priorism in (Michael DePaul and Amelia Hicks)
moral generalism — see moral particularism: and moral generalism
moral intuitionism (Philip Stratton-Lake)
and evolutionary biology (William FitzPatrick)
morality, definition of (Bernard Gert and Joshua Gert)
moral luck — see luck: moral
moral motivation (Connie S. Rosati)
moral naturalism — see naturalism: moral
moral non-naturalism (Michael Ridge)
and moral generalism (Michael Ridge and Sean McKeever)
moral phenomenology — see phenomenology: moral
empirical approaches (John Doris, Stephen Stich, Jonathan Phillips, and Lachlan Walmsley)
moral realism (Geoff Sayre-McCord)
moral reasoning — see reasoning: moral
moral relativism (Chris Gowans)
the epistemic condition (Fernando Rudy-Hiller)
principle of alternative possibilities (David Robb)
moral sentimentalism (Antti Kauppinen)
moral skepticism (Walter Sinnott-Armstrong)
of animals — see animals, moral status of
moral status, grounds of (Agnieszka Jaworska and Julie Tannenbaum)
moral theory (Julia Driver)
More, Henry (John Henry)
More, Thomas (Gerard B. Wegemer)
moral — see moral motivation
Mulla Sadra (Sajjad Rizvi)
multi-modal logic, philosophical aspects of (Sonja Smets and Fernando Velázquez-Quesada)
multiculturalism (Sarah Song)
multiple realizability (John Bickle)
Murdoch, Iris (Lawrence Blum)
history of western philosophy of, antiquity to 1800 (Matteo Ravasio)
history of western philosophy of, since 1800 (Matteo Ravasio)
music, philosophy of (Andrew Kania)
mysticism (Richard Jones and Jerome Gellman)
myths, Plato’s — see Plato: myths

N [jump to top]

Nāgārjuna (Jan Christoph Westerhoff)
names (Sam Cumming)
nationalism (Nenad Miscevic)
Native Japan Studies (Kokugaku) School — see Japanese Philosophy: Kokugaku School
Natorp, Paul (Alan Kim)
natural deduction systems in logic (Francis Jeffry Pelletier and Allen Hazen)
in epistemology — see epistemology: naturalism in
in legal philosophy (Brian Leiter and Matthew X. Etchemendy)
in the philosophy of mathematics — see mathematics, philosophy of: naturalism
moral (Matthew Lutz)
natural kinds (Alexander Bird and Emma Tobin)
natural language ontology — see ontology, natural language
tradition in ethics — see ethics: natural law tradition
in the Renaissance (Eva Del Soldato)
units and levels of (Elisabeth Lloyd)
interpretivist theories (Nicos Stavropoulos)
legal positivism (Leslie Green and Thomas Adams)
natural law theories (John Finnis)
pure theory of law (Andrei Marmor)
Navya-Nyāya — see Early Modern India, analytic philosophy in
necessary and sufficient conditions (Andrew Brennan)
and God — see God: and other necessary beings
needs, in moral and political philosophy (Gillian Brock and David Miller)
negation (Laurence R. Horn and Heinrich Wansing)
Négritude (Souleymane Bachir Diagne)
Neo-Daoism (Alan Chan)
neo-Kantianism (Jeremy Heis)
neoliberalism (Kevin Vallier)
Neoplatonism (Christian Wildberg)
Neurath, Otto (Jordi Cat)
neuroethics (Adina Roskies)
neuroscience, philosophy of (John Bickle, Peter Mandik, and Anthony Landreth)
neutral monism (Leopold Stubenberg and Donovan Wishon)
Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (George Smith)
philosophy (Andrew Janiak)
views on space, time, and motion (Robert Rynasiewicz)
Nicholas of Autrecourt [de Altricuria, Autricuria, Ultricuria, Autricort] (Hans Thijssen)
Nicolas of Cusa — see Cusanus, Nicolaus
life and works (Robert Wicks)
moral and political philosophy (Brian Leiter)
Nishida Kitarō (John C. Maraldo)
noema — see Husserl, Edmund
in metaphysics (Gonzalo Rodriguez-Pereyra)
in the philosophy of mathematics — see mathematics, philosophy of: nominalism
non-naturalism, moral — see moral non-naturalism
nonconceptual content — see mental content: nonconceptual
nonexistent objects (Maria Reicher)
nonidentity problem (M. A. Roberts)
logics for analyzing power in — see logic: for analyzing power in normal form games
normative cognition, psychology of (Daniel Kelly and Stephen Setman)
logic — see logic, normative status of
meaning — see meaning: normativity of
metaethics — see metaethics, normativity in
norms of cooperation — see social norms
Norris, John (June Yang)
nothingness (Roy Sorensen)
Novalis [Georg Friedrich Philipp von Hardenberg] (Kristin Gjesdal)
political philosophy (Eric Mack)
Numenius (George Karamanolis)

O [jump to top]

Oakeshott, Michael (Terry Nardin)
object (Bradley Rettler and Andrew M. Bailey)
scientific — see scientific objectivity
obligationes , medieval theories of (Mikko Yrjönsuuri)
special (Diane Jeske)
obligations to oneself (Daniel Muñoz)
occasionalism (Sukjae Lee)
Ockham [Occam], William (Paul Vincent Spade and Claude Panaccio)
Olivi, Peter John (Robert Pasnau and Juhana Toivanen)
Olympiodorus (Christian Wildberg)
omnipotence (Joshua Hoffman and Gary Rosenkrantz)
omnipresence (Edward Wierenga)
omniscience (Edward Wierenga)
ontological arguments (Graham Oppy, Joshua Rasmussen, and Joseph Schmid)
ontological commitment (Phillip Bricker)
ontological dependence — see dependence, ontological
social — see social ontology
ontology, natural language (Friederike Moltmann)
ontology of art, history of (Paisley Livingston)
operationalism (Hasok Chang)
ordinary objects (Daniel Z. Korman)
Oresme, Nicole (Stefan Kirschner)
Origen (Mark J. Edwards)
original position (Samuel Freeman)
Ortega y Gasset, José (Oliver Holmes)
other minds (Anita Avramides)
ownership, property and — see property and ownership

P [jump to top]

pacifism (Andrew Fiala)
pain (Murat Aydede)
Paine, Thomas (Mark Philp)
panentheism (John Culp)
panpsychism (Philip Goff, William Seager, and Sean Allen-Hermanson)
pantheism (William Mander)
Curry’s — see Curry’s paradox
Fitch’s paradox of knowability — see Fitch’s paradox of knowability
of the liar — see liar paradox
Russell’s paradox — see Russell’s paradox
Simpson’s paradox — see Simpson’s paradox
Skolem’s (Timothy Bays)
St. Petersburg paradox — see St. Petersburg paradox
of suspense — see suspense, paradox of
Zeno’s paradoxes — see Zeno of Elea: Zeno’s paradoxes
and contemporary logic (Andrea Cantini and Riccardo Bruni)
epistemic — see epistemic paradoxes
parenthood and procreation (Elizabeth Brake and Joseph Millum)
Parmenides (John Palmer)
part/whole — see mereology
Pascal, Blaise (Desmond Clarke and William Wood)
Pascal’s wager (Alan Hájek)
paternalism (Gerald Dworkin)
patriotism (Igor Primoratz)
Patrizi, Francesco (Fred Purnell)
Paul of Venice (Alessandro Conti)
Peirce, Benjamin (Ivor Grattan-Guinness and Alison Walsh)
logic (Sun-Joo Shin)
theory of signs (Albert Atkin)
Penbygull, William (Alessandro Conti)
action-based theories — see action-based theories of perception
auditory (Casey O’Callaghan)
the contents of (Susanna Siegel)
the disjunctive theory of (Matthew Soteriou)
epistemological problems of (Jack Lyons)
experience and justification (Nicholas Silins)
the problem of (Tim Crane and Craig French)
perceptual learning — see learning, perceptual
Pereira, Gómez (José Manuel García Valverde)
perfectionism, in moral and political philosophy (Steven Wall)
persistence — see temporal parts
and ethics (David Shoemaker)
personalism (Thomas D. Williams and Jan Olof Bengtsson)
personal relationship goods (Anca Gheaus)
in classical Indian Philosophy — see Indian Philosophy (Classical): personhood
persons — see personal identity
persons, treating as means — see treating persons as means
Peter of Spain [= Petrus Hispanus] (Joke Spruyt)
Petrizi, Joane (Tengiz Iremadze)
phenomenal intentionality — see intentionality: phenomenal
moral (John Drummond and Mark Timmons)
of the Munich and Göttingen Circles (Alessandro Salice)
Philip the Chancellor (Colleen McCluskey and Anthony Celano)
Philodemus (David Blank)
Philolaus (Carl Huffman)
Philo of Alexandria (Carlos Lévy)
Philo of Larissa (Charles Brittain and Peter Osorio)
Philoponus (Christian Wildberg)
in Latin America (Pablo Lorenzano)
in Latin America (Olimpia Lombardi, Alberto Cordero, and Ana Rosa Pérez Ransanz)
Philo the Dialectician — see Dialectical School
phylogenetic inference (Matt Haber and Joel Velasco)
physicalism (Daniel Stoljar)
experiment in (Allan Franklin and Slobodan Perovic)
holism and nonseparability (Richard Healey and Henrique Gomes)
intertheory relations in (Patricia Palacios)
quantum field theory — see quantum theory: quantum field theory
structuralism in (Heinz-Juergen Schmidt)
symmetry and symmetry breaking (Katherine Brading, Elena Castellani, and Nicholas Teh)
physis and nomos — see Sophists, The
Pico della Mirandola, Giovanni (Brian Copenhaver)
pineal gland — see Descartes, René: and the pineal gland
aesthetics (Nickolas Pappas)
Callicles and Thrasymachus (Rachel Barney)
Cratylus (David Meißner)
ethics (Dorothea Frede and Mi-Kyoung Lee)
ethics and politics in The Republic (Eric Brown)
friendship and eros (C. D. C. Reeve)
method and metaphysics in the Sophist and Statesman (Mary-Louise Gill)
middle period metaphysics and epistemology (Allan Silverman)
myths (Catalin Partenie)
on knowledge in the Theaetetus (Sophie-Grace Chappell)
on utopia (Chris Bobonich and Katherine Meadows)
Parmenides (Samuel Rickless)
rhetoric and poetry (Charles L. Griswold)
shorter ethical works (Paul Woodruff)
Timaeus (Donald Zeyl and Barbara Sattler)
in metaphysics (Mark Balaguer)
in the philosophy of mathematics — see mathematics, philosophy of: Platonism
pleasure (Leonard D. Katz)
Plotinus (Lloyd Gerson)
plurality of forms — see binarium famosissimum
plural quantification (Øystein Linnebo)
Plutarch (George Karamanolis)
Poincaré, Henri (Gerhard Heinzmann and David Stump)
Polgar, Isaac — see Polqar, Isaac
political obligation (Richard Dagger and David Lefkowitz)
ancient (Melissa Lane)
medieval (John Kilcullen and Jonathan Robinson)
in international relations (W. Julian Korab-Karpowicz)
political theory and religion — see religion: and political theory
Polqar, Isaac (Racheli Haliva)
Pomponazzi, Pietro (Craig Martin)
Popper, Karl (Stephen Thornton)
population genetics — see genetics: population
and censorship (Caroline West)
Porphyry (Eyjólfur Emilsson)
Porta, Giambattista della (Sergius Kodera)
Port Royal Logic (Alan Nelson and Jill Buroker)
possibilism-actualism debate (Christopher Menzel)
possible objects (Takashi Yagisawa)
possible worlds (Christopher Menzel)
postmodernism (Gary Aylesworth)
Poulain de la Barre, François (Martina Reuter)
poverty of the stimulus argument — see innateness: and language
medieval theories of (Anthony Celano)
and the structure of actions (Elijah Millgram)
pragmatic arguments and belief in God (Jeff Jordan)
defaults in — see defaults in semantics and pragmatics
pragmatism (Catherine Legg and Christopher Hookway)
petitionary (Scott A. Davison)
predicate calculus — see logic: classical
prediction versus accommodation (Eric Christian Barnes)
predictivism — see prediction versus accommodation
preferences (Sven Ove Hansson and Till Grüne-Yanoff)
pregnancy, birth, and medicine (Quill R Kukla, Teresa Baron, and Katherine Wayne)
prenatal testing and screening — see eugenics
presentism (David Ingram and Jonathan Tallant)
Presocratic Philosophy (Patricia Curd)
presupposition (David I. Beaver, Bart Geurts, and Kristie Denlinger)
Price, Henry Habberley (Arthur Schipper and Paul Snowdon)
Price, Richard (David McNaughton)
Prichard, Harold Arthur (Jonathan Dancy)
primary and secondary qualities in early modern philosophy (Martha Bolton)
notation in (Bernard Linsky)
principle of sufficient reason (Yitzhak Y. Melamed and Martin Lin)
Prior, Arthur (B. Jack Copeland)
prisoner’s dilemma (Steven Kuhn)
and information technology — see information technology: and privacy
and medicine — see ethics, biomedical: privacy and medicine
private language (Stewart Candlish and George Wrisley)
probabilities, imprecise (Seamus Bradley)
probabilities, indeterminate — see probabilities, imprecise
probability, in medieval and Renaissance philosophy (Rudolf Schuessler)
probability, interpretations of (Alan Hájek)
probability and logic — see logic: and probability
procedural fairness — see rule of law and procedural fairness
process philosophy (Johanna Seibt)
process theism (Donald Viney)
Proclus (Christoph Helmig and Carlos Steel)
procreation — see parenthood and procreation
Prodicus — see Sophists, The
progress (Agnes Tam and Margaret Meek Lange)
promises (Allen Habib)
development of (Jan von Plato)
emergent — see emergent properties
essential vs. accidental — see essential vs. accidental properties
natural (Cian Dorr)
intellectual (Adam Moore and Ken Himma)
property and ownership (Jeremy Waldron)
prophecy (Scott A. Davison)
propositional attitude reports (Michael Nelson)
propositional function (Edwin Mares)
propositional logic — see logic: propositional
singular (Greg Fitch and Michael Nelson)
structured (Jeffrey C. King)
Protagoras (Mauro Bonazzi)
providence, divine (Hugh J. McCann and Daniel M. Johnson)
Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (Kevin Corrigan and L. Michael Harrington)
pseudo-science, science and — see science: and pseudo-science
psyche — see soul, ancient theories of
psychiatry, philosophy of (Dominic Murphy)
psychologism (Martin Kusch)
evolutionary (Stephen M. Downes)
public goods (Julian Reiss)
ethics (Ruth Faden, Justin Bernstein, and Sirine Shebaya)
publicity (Axel Gosseries and Tom Parr)
public reason (Jonathan Quong)
moral and political philosophy (Michael Seidler)
punishment, legal (Zachary Hoskins and Antony Duff)
Pyrrho (Richard Bett)
Pyrrhonism — see skepticism: ancient
Pythagoras (Carl Huffman)
Pythagoreanism (Carl Huffman)

Q [jump to top]

Qing philosophy — see Chinese Philosophy: Qing philosophy
inverted (Alex Byrne)
knowledge argument (Martine Nida-Rümelin and Donnchadh O Conaill)
quantifiers and quantification (Gabriel Uzquiano)
action at a distance in (Joseph Berkovitz)
Bell’s Theorem — see Bell’s Theorem
Bohmian mechanics (Sheldon Goldstein)
collapse theories (Giancarlo Ghirardi and Angelo Bassi)
consistent histories approach (Robert B. Griffiths)
Copenhagen interpretation of (Jan Faye)
Everettian (Jeffrey Barrett)
Kochen-Specker theorem (Carsten Held)
many-worlds interpretation of (Lev Vaidman)
modal interpretations of (Olimpia Lombardi and Dennis Dieks)
relational (Federico Laudisa and Carlo Rovelli)
retrocausality (Simon Friederich and Peter W. Evans)
the role of decoherence in (Guido Bacciagaluppi)
Bayesian and pragmatist views (Richard Healey)
and consciousness (Harald Atmanspacher)
the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen argument in (Arthur Fine and Thomas A. Ryckman)
identity and individuality in (Steven French and Tomasz Bigaj)
and mathematical rigor (Fred Kronz and Tracy Lupher)
the measurement problem — see quantum theory: philosophical issues in
philosophical issues in (Wayne Myrvold)
quantum computing (Michael Cuffaro and Amit Hagar)
quantum entanglement and information (Jeffrey Bub)
quantum field theory (Meinard Kuhlmann)
quantum gravity (Steven Weinstein and Dean Rickles)
quantum logic and probability theory (Alexander Wilce)
uncertainty principle in — see Uncertainty Principle
questions (Charles Cross and Floris Roelofsen)
indispensability argument — see mathematics, philosophy of: indispensability arguments in the
New Foundations (Thomas Forster)
quotation (Herman Cappelen, Ernest Lepore, and Matthew McKeever)

R [jump to top]

critical philosophy of — see critical philosophy of race
Radulphus Brito (Ana María Mora-Márquez and Iacopo Costa)
and intergenerational welfare economics (Partha Dasgupta)
Ramus, Petrus (Erland Sellberg)
Rand, Ayn (Neera K. Badhwar and Roderick T. Long)
versus chance — see chance: versus randomness
expected utility (R. A. Briggs)
rivals to expected utility (Lara Buchak)
rationalism vs. empiricism (Peter Markie and M. Folescu)
Bayesian — see epistemology: Bayesian
bounded — see bounded rationality
epistemic foundations of game theory — see game theory: epistemic foundations of
historicist theories of (Thomas Nickles)
instrumental (Niko Kolodny and John Brunero)
structural (Benjamin Kiesewetter and Alex Worsnip)
Rawls, John (Leif Wenar)
challenges to metaphysical (Drew Khlentzos)
moral — see moral realism
political, in international relations — see political realism: in international relations
scientific — see scientific realism
structural — see structural realism
and theory change in science (Stathis Psillos)
automated (Frederic Portoraro)
by analogy — see analogy and analogical reasoning
defeasible (Robert Koons)
moral (Henry S. Richardson)
agent-neutral vs. agent-relative (Michael Ridge)
internal vs. external (Stephen Finlay and Mark Schroeder)
justification, motivation, explanation (Maria Alvarez)
recognition (Mattias Iser)
reconciliation (Linda Radzik and Colleen Murphy)
recursion — see recursion
recursive functions (Walter Dean and Alberto Naibo)
redistribution (Christian Barry)
in biology (Ingo Brigandt and Alan Love)
in physics — see physics: intertheory relations in
reference (Eliot Michaelson)
reflective equilibrium (Carl Knight)
Regius, Henricus (Desmond Clarke and Erik-Jan Bos)
Rehberg, August Wilhelm (Frederick C. Beiser)
common cause principle (Christopher Hitchcock and Miklós Rédei)
ethics (Terence Cuneo)
on memory and personal identity (Rebecca Copenhaver)
Reinach, Adolf (Alessandro Salice, James DuBois, and Barry Smith)
Reinhold, Karl Leonhard (Dan Breazeale and John Walsh)
reism (Jan Woleński)
medieval theories of (Jeffrey Brower)
moral — see moral relativism
reliabilist epistemology (Alvin Goldman and Bob Beddor)
concept of (Kevin Schilbrack)
epistemology of (Peter Forrest)
feminist philosophy of — see feminist philosophy, interventions: philosophy of religion
and morality (John Hare)
natural — see theology, natural and natural religion
phenomenology of (Mark Wynn)
philosophy of (Charles Taliaferro)
and political theory (Chris Eberle and Terence Cuneo)
and science (Helen De Cruz)
religious diversity (David Basinger)
religious experience (Mark Webb)
religious language (Michael Scott)
reparations, Black (Bernard Boxill and J. Angelo Corlett)
replication and reproduction (John S. Wilkins and Pierrick Bourrat)
representation, political (Suzanne Dovi)
representation, scientific — see scientific representation
reproducibility, scientific (Fiona Fidler and John Wilcox)
republicanism (Frank Lovett)
repugnant conclusion, the (Gustaf Arrhenius, Jesper Ryberg, and Torbjörn Tännsjö)
resistance, imaginative — see imaginative resistance
respect (Robin S. Dillon)
collective (Marion Smiley)
retributive justice — see justice: retributive
revelation, divine (Mats Wahlberg)
reverse mathematics (Benedict Eastaugh)
revolution (Allen Buchanan and Alexander Motchoulski)
Richard the Sophister [ Ricardus Sophista, Magister abstractionum ] (Paul Streveler)
Rickert, Heinrich (Andrea Staiti and Luca Oliva)
Ricoeur, Paul (David Pellauer and Bernard Dauenhauer)
of children (David William Archard)
civil — see civil rights
group (Peter Jones)
human (James Nickel and Adam Etinson)
legal — see legal rights
rigid designators (Joseph LaPorte)
risk (Sven Ove Hansson)
ethics of — see artificial intelligence: ethics of
role obligations — see obligations: special
Rorty, Richard (Bjørn Ramberg and Susan Dieleman)
Rosenstock-Huessy, Eugen (Wayne Cristaudo)
Rosenzweig, Franz (Benjamin Pollock)
Rosmini, Antonio (Denis Cleary)
Ross, William David (Anthony Skelton)
Rousseau, Jean Jacques (Christopher Bertram)
Routley [Sylvan], Richard — see Sylvan, Richard
Royce, Josiah (Kelly A. Parker and Scott Pratt)
Rufus, Richard — see Richard the Sophister
rule-following and intentionality (Alexander Miller and Olivia Sultanescu)
rule consequentialism — see consequentialism: rule
rule of law and procedural fairness (Jeremy Waldron)
logical atomism — see logical atomism: Russell’s
moral philosophy (Charles Pigden)
Russell’s paradox (Andrew David Irvine and Harry Deutsch)
Ryle, Gilbert (Julia Tanney)

S [jump to top]

Saadya [Saadiah] (Sarah Pessin)
Śāntarakṣita (James Blumenthal and James Apple)
Śāntideva (Charles Goodman)
Sakya Paṇḍita [sa skya paṇ ḍi ta] (Jonathan C. Gold)
sale of human organs (Stephen Wilkinson)
Salmon, Wesley (Maria Carla Galavotti)
Sanches, Francisco (Rolando Pérez)
Śaṅkara (Neil Dalal)
Santayana, George (Herman Saatkamp and Martin Coleman)
Sartre, Jean-Paul (Jack Reynolds and Pierre-Jean Renaudie)
scepticism — see skepticism
Scheler, Max (Zachary Davis and Anthony Steinbock)
Schelling, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von (Andrew Bowie)
schema (John Corcoran and Idris Samawi Hamid)
Schiller, Friedrich (Lydia L. Moland)
Schlegel, August Wilhelm von (Katia D. Hay)
Schlegel, Friedrich (Allen Speight)
Schleiermacher, Friedrich Daniel Ernst (Michael Forster)
Schlick, Moritz (Thomas Oberdan)
Schmitt, Carl (Lars Vinx)
Scholem, Gershom (Shaul Magid)
Scholz, Heinrich (Volker Peckhaus)
School of Names (Chris Fraser)
School of Salamanca (Thomas Izbicki and Matthias Kaufmann)
aesthetics (Sandra Shapshay)
Schutz, Alfred (Michael Barber)
models in — see models in science
and pseudo-science (Sven Ove Hansson)
theory and observation in (Nora Mills Boyd and James Bogen)
unity of (Jordi Cat)
scientific discovery (Jutta Schickore)
causal approaches to (Lauren Ross and James Woodward)
social dimensions of (Helen Longino)
scientific method (Brian Hepburn and Hanne Andersen)
scientific objectivity (Julian Reiss and Jan Sprenger)
scientific pluralism (David Ludwig and Stéphanie Ruphy)
scientific progress (Ilkka Niiniluoto)
and theory change — see realism: and theory change in science
scientific representation (Roman Frigg and James Nguyen)
scientific research and big data (Sabina Leonelli)
scientific revolutions (Thomas Nickles)
incommensurability of — see incommensurability: of scientific theories
structure of (Rasmus Grønfeldt Winther)
underdetermination of — see underdetermination, of scientific theories
in the 18th Century (Alexander Broadie and Craig Smith)
in the 19th century (Gordon Graham)
Scottus [Scotus] Eriugena [Erigena], John — see Eriugena, John Scottus
Scotus, John Duns — see Duns Scotus, John
Scudéry, Madeleine de (John Conley)
search engines and ethics — see ethics: search engines and
Sebond, Raymond — see Montaigne, Michel de
secession (Allen Buchanan and Elizabeth Levinson)
secondary qualities, in early modern philosophy — see primary and secondary qualities in early modern philosophy
feminist perspectives on the — see feminist philosophy, topics: perspectives on the self
knowledge — see self-knowledge
phenomenological approaches to (Shaun Gallagher and Dan Zahavi)
self-deception (Ian Deweese-Boyd)
self-defense (Helen Frowe and Jonathan Parry)
self-doubt, epistemic (Sherrilyn Roush)
and externalism — see externalism: and self-knowledge
self-locating beliefs (Andy Egan and Michael G. Titelbaum)
self-reference (Thomas Bolander)
self-respect — see respect
Sellars, Wilfrid (Willem deVries)
semantic holism — see meaning holism
dynamic (Rick Nouwen, Adrian Brasoveanu, Jan van Eijck, and Albert Visser)
Montague (Theo M. V. Janssen and Thomas Ede Zimmermann)
proof-theoretic (Peter Schroeder-Heister)
two-dimensional (Laura Schroeter)
medieval (Stephan Meier-Oeser)
Seneca (Katja Vogt)
sense data (Gary Hatfield)
sensibility theory — see fitting attitude theories of value
sentimentalism, moral — see moral sentimentalism
alternative axiomatic theories (M. Randall Holmes)
constructive and intuitionistic ZF (Laura Crosilla)
continuum hypothesis (Peter Koellner)
early development (José Ferreirós)
independence and large cardinals (Peter Koellner)
large cardinals and determinacy (Peter Koellner)
non-wellfounded (Lawrence S. Moss)
Zermelo’s axiomatization of (Michael Hallett)
sex and sexuality (Raja Halwani)
Sextus Empiricus (Benjamin Morison)
Sharpe, Johannes (Alessandro Conti)
Shepherd, Mary (Martha Bolton)
Sidgwick, Henry (Barton Schultz)
Simon of Faversham (Ana María Mora-Márquez)
divine (William F. Vallicella)
Simplicius (Christoph Helmig)
Simpson’s paradox (Jan Sprenger and Naftali Weinberger)
simulations in science (Eric Winsberg)
sin, in Christian thought (Kevin Timpe)
medieval theories of (E. Jennifer Ashworth)
in natural language semantics (Angelika Kratzer)
skeptical theism (Timothy Perrine)
about moral responsibility (Gregg Caruso)
ancient (Katja Vogt)
and content externalism (Michael McKinsey)
in Latin America (Plínio Junqueira Smith and Otávio Bueno)
medieval (Charles Bolyard)
moral — see moral skepticism
Skolem’s paradox — see paradox: Skolem’s
moral and political philosophy (Samuel Fleischacker)
social choice theory (Christian List)
naturalistic approaches to (Ron Mallon)
contemporary approaches to (Fred D’Agostino, Gerald Gaus, and John Thrasher)
social epistemology — see epistemology: social
social institutions (Seumas Miller)
socialism (Pablo Gilabert and Martin O’Neill)
social minimum [basic income] (Stuart White)
social networking and ethics (Shannon Vallor)
social norms (Cristina Bicchieri, Ryan Muldoon, and Alessandro Sontuoso)
social ontology (Brian Epstein)
social procedures, formal approaches (Jan van Eijck and Rineke (L.C.) Verbrugge)
sociobiology (Catherine Driscoll)
Socrates (Debra Nails and S. Sara Monoson)
solidarity in social and political philosophy (Andrea Sangiovanni and Juri Viehoff)
Sophie de Grouchy (Sandrine Berges)
sophismata [= sophisms] (Fabienne Pironet and Joke Spruyt)
Sophists, The (C.C.W. Taylor and Mi-Kyoung Lee)
Sorites paradox (Dominic Hyde and Diana Raffman)
sortals (Richard E. Grandy and Max A. Freund)
soul, ancient theories of (Hendrik Lorenz)
sounds (Roberto Casati, Jerome Dokic, and Elvira Di Bona)
sovereignty (Daniel Philpott)
absolute and relational space and motion, classical theories (Carl Hoefer, Nick Huggett, and James Read)
absolute and relational space and motion, post-Newtonian theories (Nick Huggett, Carl Hoefer, and James Read)
being and becoming in modern physics (Steven Savitt)
conventionality of simultaneity (Allen Janis)
the hole argument (John D. Norton, Oliver Pooley, and James Read)
inertial frames (Robert DiSalle)
singularities and black holes (Erik Curiel)
supertasks (JB Manchak and Bryan W. Roberts)
species (Marc Ereshefsky)
inner — see inner speech
speech acts (Mitchell Green)
Spencer, Herbert (David Weinstein)
Speusippus (Russell Dancy)
epistemology and philosophy of mind (Karolina Hübner)
modal metaphysics (Samuel Newlands)
physical theory (Richard Manning)
political philosophy (Justin Steinberg)
psychological theory (Michael LeBuffe)
theory of attributes (Noa Shein)
sport, philosophy of (John William Devine and Francisco Javier Lopez Frias)
square of opposition (Terence Parsons)
Śrīharṣa (Nilanjan Das)
St. Petersburg paradox (Martin Peterson)
states of affairs (Mark Textor)
Boltzmann’s work in (Jos Uffink)
philosophy of statistical mechanics (Roman Frigg and Charlotte Werndl)
statistics, philosophy of (Jan-Willem Romeijn)
Stebbing, Susan (Michael Beaney and Siobhan Chapman)
Stein, Edith (Thomas Szanto and Dermot Moran)
stem cell research, ethics of — see ethics, biomedical: stem cell research
Stevenson, Charles Leslie (Daniel Boisvert and Teemu Toppinen)
Stewart, Dugald — see Scottish Philosophy: in the 18th Century
Stirner, Max (David Leopold)
Stoicism (Marion Durand, Simon Shogry, and Dirk Baltzly)
Strauss, Leo (Leora Batnitzky)
Strawson, Peter Frederick (Paul Snowdon and Anil Gomes)
in mathematics — see mathematics, philosophy of: structuralism
in physics — see physics: structuralism in
structural realism (James Ladyman)
Stumpf, Carl (Denis Fisette)
Sturm, Johann (Andrea Sangiacomo and Christian Henkel)
in mathematics (Paolo Mancosu)
Suárez, Francisco (Christopher Shields and Daniel Schwartz)
substance (Howard Robinson and Ralph Weir)
substructural logics — see logic: substructural
Suhrawardi (Roxanne Marcotte)
suicide (Michael Cholbi)
supererogation (David Heyd)
in ethics (Tristram McPherson)
surrogate decision-making for incompetent individuals — see advance directives
Susman, Margarete (Willi Goetschel)
suspense, paradox of (Aaron Smuts)
medieval theories of (Henrik Lagerlund)
Sylvan [Routley], Richard (Dominic Hyde, Filippo Casati, and Zach Weber)
symmetry and symmetry breaking — see physics: symmetry and symmetry breaking
synthetic — see analytic/synthetic distinction
Syrianus (Christian Wildberg)
systems and synthetic biology, philosophy of (Sara Green)

T [jump to top]

Taoism — see Daoism
truth definitions (Wilfrid Hodges)
Taurellus, Nicolaus (Andreas Blank)
techne — see episteme and techne
technology, philosophy of (Maarten Franssen, Gert-Jan Lokhorst, and Ibo van de Poel)
teleological arguments for God’s existence (Del Ratzsch and Jeffrey Koperski)
teleological notions in biology (Colin Allen and Jacob Neal)
teleological theories of mental content — see mental content: teleological theories of
Telesio, Bernardino (Michaela Boenke)
temporal consciousness — see consciousness: temporal
temporal parts (Katherine Hawley)
tense and aspect (Friedrich Hamm and Oliver Bott)
medieval theories of (Stephen Read)
territorial rights and justice (Margaret Moore)
terrorism (Igor Primoratz)
epistemological problems of (Nick Leonard)
testimony, aesthetic — see aesthetic testimony
theater, philosophy of (James R. Hamilton)
atheism and agnosticism — see atheism and agnosticism
monotheism — see monotheism
panentheism — see panentheism
pantheism — see pantheism
process — see process theism
skeptical — see skeptical theism
theology, natural and natural religion (Andrew Chignell and Derk Pereboom)
Theology of Aristotle (Peter Adamson)
Theophrastus (Katerina Ierodiakonou)
theoretical terms in science (Holger Andreas)
thick ethical concepts (Pekka Väyrynen)
Thomas of Erfurt (Jack Zupko)
Thoreau, Henry David (Rick Anthony Furtak)
thought, associationist theories of — see associationist theories of thought
thought experiments (James Robert Brown and Yiftach Fehige)
Thrasymachus — see Plato: Callicles and Thrasymachus
Tibbon, Samuel Ibn (James T. Robinson)
Tibetan epistemology and philosophy of language (Pascale Hugon)
being and becoming in modern physics — see space and time: being and becoming in modern physics
the experience and perception of (Robin Le Poidevin)
thermodynamic asymmetry in (Craig Callender)
time machines (John Earman, Christian Wüthrich, and JB Manchak)
and modern physics (Christopher Smeenk, Frank Arntzenius, and Tim Maudlin)
Timon of Phlius (Richard Bett)
toleration (Rainer Forst)
torts, theories of the common law of (Arthur Ripstein)
torture (Seumas Miller)
touch (Matthew Fulkerson)
Kant — see Kant, Immanuel: transcendental arguments
transcendentalism (Russell Goodman)
transcendentals, medieval theories of (Wouter Goris and Jan Aertsen)
transformative experience (Rebecca Chan)
trans issues, feminist perspectives on — see feminist philosophy, topics: perspectives on trans issues
transmission of justification and warrant (Luca Moretti and Tommaso Piazza)
transworld identity — see identity: transworld
treating persons as means (Samuel Kerstein)
trinity (Dale Tuggy)
tropes (Anna-Sofia Maurin)
trust (Carolyn McLeod)
axiomatic theories of (Volker Halbach and Graham E. Leigh)
coherence theory of (James O. Young)
correspondence theory of (Marian David)
deflationism about (Bradley Armour-Garb, Daniel Stoljar, and James Woodbridge)
identity theory of (Richard Gaskin)
pluralist theories of (Nikolaj Jang Lee Linding Pedersen and Cory Wright)
pragmatic theory of (John Capps)
revision theory of (Philip Kremer and Edoardo Rivello)
Tarski’s theory of truth — see Tarski, Alfred: truth definitions
truthlikeness (Graham Oddie and Gustavo Cevolani)
truthmakers (Fraser MacBride)
truth values (Yaroslav Shramko and Heinrich Wansing)
Tsongkhapa (Gareth Sparham and Chandra Chiara Ehm)
Turing, Alan (Andrew Hodges)
Turing machines (Liesbeth De Mol)
Turing test (Graham Oppy and David Dowe)
Turnbull, George — see Scottish Philosophy: in the 18th Century
Twardowski, Kazimierz (Arianna Betti)
two truths in India, theory of (Sonam Thakchoe)
two truths in Tibet, theory of (Sonam Thakchoe)
types and tokens (Linda Wetzel)
Church’s type theory (Christoph Benzmüller and Peter Andrews)
constructive — see type theory: intuitionistic
intuitionistic (Peter Dybjer and Erik Palmgren)

U [jump to top]

and God — see God: and other ultimates
Umar Khayyam (Seyed N. Mousavian, Suzanne Sumner, Mehdi Aminrazavi, and Glen Van Brummelen)
Uncertainty Principle (Jan Hilgevoord and Jos Uffink)
underdetermination, of scientific theories (Kyle Stanford)
understanding (Stephen Grimm)
units and levels of natural selection — see natural selection: units and levels of
unity of science — see science: unity of
universal hylomorphism — see binarium famosissimum
the medieval problem of (Gyula Klima)
history of (Julia Driver)
rule — see consequentialism: rule

V [jump to top]

vagueness (Roy Sorensen)
vagueness of composition — see many, problem of
Vaihinger, Hans (Timothy Stoll)
validity — see logical truth
Valla, Lorenzo (Lodi Nauta)
incommensurable (Nien-hê Hsieh and Henrik Andersson)
intrinsic vs. extrinsic (Michael J. Zimmerman and Ben Bradley)
of knowledge — see knowledge, value of
pluralism (Elinor Mason)
value theory (Mark Schroeder)
Vasubandhu (Jonathan C. Gold)
vegetarianism, ethics of (Tyler Doggett)
veil of ignorance — see original position
verbs, intensional transitive — see intensional transitive verbs
verisimilitude — see truthlikeness
Vico, Giambattista (Timothy Costelloe)
Vienna Circle (Thomas Uebel)
ancient theories of — see ethics: ancient
virtue ethics — see ethics: virtue
epistemology of (Marcus Giaquinto)
Viterbo, James of — see James of Viterbo
Vives, Juan Luis (Lorenzo Casini)
volition — see free will
Voltaire (J.B. Shank)
voluntarism, theological (Mark Murphy)
methods (Eric Pacuit)

W [jump to top]

Wang Yangming (Bryan Van Norden)
war (Seth Lazar)
Ward, James (Pierfrancesco Basile)
warrant, transmission of — see transmission of justification and warrant
Watsuji Tetsurō (Robert Carter and Erin McCarthy)
weakness of will (Sarah Stroud and Larisa Svirsky)
Weber, Max (Sung Ho Kim)
Weil, Simone (A. Rebecca Rozelle-Stone and Benjamin P. Davis)
intergenerational, and Ramsey — see Ramsey, Frank: and intergenerational welfare economics
well-being (Roger Crisp)
Weyl, Hermann (John L. Bell and Herbert Korté)
Whewell, William (Laura J. Snyder)
Whichcote, Benjamin — see Cambridge Platonists
Whitehead, Alfred North (Ronald Desmet and Andrew David Irvine)
William of Auvergne (Neil Lewis and Katrin Fischer)
William of Champeaux (Kevin Guilfoy)
William of Ockham — see Ockham, William
William of Sherwood (Sara L. Uckelman)
Williams, Bernard (Sophie-Grace Chappell and Nicholas Smyth)
Williams, Donald Cary (Keith Campbell, James Franklin, and Douglas Ehring)
Wilson, John Cook (Mathieu Marion)
Windelband, Wilhelm (Katherina Kinzel)
wisdom (Sharon Ryan)
aesthetics (Garry Hagberg)
logical atomism (Ian Proops)
philosophy of mathematics (Victor Rodych)
Wodeham, Adam de (John T. Slotemaker and Jeffrey C. Witt)
Wolff, Christian (Matt Hettche and Corey Dyck)
Wollstonecraft, Mary (Sylvana Tomaselli)
word meaning — see meaning: of words
work and labor (Michael Cholbi)
world government (Catherine Lu)
impossible — see impossible worlds
possible — see possible worlds
Wright, Chauncey (Jean De Groot)
Wundt, Wilhelm Maximilian (Alan Kim)
political Philosophy (Stephen Lahey)

X [jump to top]

Xenocrates (Russell Dancy)
Xenophanes (James Lesher)
Xunzi (Paul R. Goldin)

Y [jump to top]

Yorck von Wartenburg, Count Paul (Ingo Farin)

Z [jump to top]

Zabarella, Giacomo (Heikki Mikkeli and Tawrin Baker)
Zeno’s paradoxes (Nick Huggett)
axiomatization of set theory — see set theory: Zermelo’s axiomatization of
Zhuangzi (Chad Hansen)
Zhu Xi (Kirill Thompson)
zombies (Robert Kirk)

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170 great philosophy research paper topics you will love.

If you’re reading our blog post, it means you are on the prowl for some awesome philosophy research paper topics. We know, it can be very difficult to find quality topics these days. The problem is that most of the topics that are on the Internet are already used by your classmates. You want something new. You want something original and interesting. And the good news is that you have arrived at just the right place.

This is the page that will change your life. We guarantee that you will find a topic for philosophy paper in the next 5 minutes. We have a long list of 170 topics that are not only interesting or captivating, but also unique. These topics were created by our experienced academic writers and each and every one of them is original at the time of writing.

Your Philosophy Topics Really Matter

Not sure whether to choose one of these topics or not? You probably don’t know the importance of finding some great philosophy topics. Here is a short list that will show you why finding a unique topic is so important:

Your professor will appreciate all the effort you’ve dedicated to finding a captivating topic
You will most likely get some bonus points simply because the topic is interesting and original
Your paper will stand out from all the rest because of the topic you’ve chosen
A good topic makes writing the paper easier because you can find plenty of information on the Internet

Yes, finding some exceptional philosophical paper topics really makes a difference. Don’t worry, you can find all sorts of topics on this page, and all of them are provided to you for free.

The Best Topics in Philosophy for 2023

We have the absolute best topics in philosophy right here. And the best part is that our writers are adding new topics periodically, so there is a big chance you can find an idea that nobody else thought of. So, what are you waiting for? Pick one of these ideas and start writing the paper right away:

Easy Philosophy Paper Topics

We are your best option if you are looking for some easy philosophy paper topics that can help you write the paper faster which at the same time doing a great job:

Does being rich mean one has a lot of money?
Discuss living without feeling alive.
Describe loneliness and talk about its effects
How much does love last?
Talk about the emotions that are helpful
Discuss the role of society in your life
Talk about the best ways to boost creativity
Discuss the role of education in your life
Good traits and bad traits
What would you choose: a well-paid job or your dream job?
Discuss the determinist theory
The principles of democracy

Good Philosophy Paper Topics

In this list, we will post all of the topics that stand out from the rest. Pick one of these good philosophy paper topics and start writing your research paper right away:

Discuss the differences between humans and animals
A philosophical discussion about superstitions
What would you prefer: to be loved or to love?
Talk about the essence of time in philosophy
Why are you staying up late every night?
Talk about age and wisdom
The truth behind myths
A philosophical discussion about science
Talk about the differences between modern life and ancient life
Honor in Medieval Europe
The most prominent philosophers of the 20th century
Talk about the relation between power and reason
Talk about the rights of robots in the near future
How important is science in our life?

Philosophical Thesis Topics

Do you want to start on your thesis? Our exceptional writers have put together a list of great philosophical thesis topics that you can use for free right now:

A philosophical discussion about robots
Can you accept a fact without questioning it?
A philosophical discussion about artificial intelligence
Discuss the American dream and its implications
An in-depth analysis of the Socratic method
A philosophical discussion about your pet
Research the life and death of Plato
Discuss the concept of honor in ancient Rome
What is the life of reason?
The importance of education in the 21st century
What does it mean to have good judgement?
An in-depth analysis of the power of slogans
Things that cause you to be attracted by a person
The main causes of corruption at high levels

Fun Philosophy Paper Topics

Who said writing about a topic in philosophy can’t be fun? To the contrary, we have a list of fun philosophy paper topics right here for you:

Talk about the concept of moral virtue
A philosophical discussion about the exploration of space
What does your cat think about you?
A philosophical discussion about religion
The effects of weather on our mood
Talk about a controversial aspect of modern life
A philosophical discussion about poverty
What does your dog think about you?
A philosophical discussion about life
The effect of video games on our perception
An in-depth look at polygamous marriage
Humanity vs. divinity: an analysis
The perception of death in 3 different communities
The effects of music on human development

Philosophy Research Topics

Are you looking for some of the best research topics you can find? Check out our list of philosophy research topics and select the one you like the most:

A philosophical discussion about death
Is sorcery a real thing?
Are people really the loving beings they think they are?
What does self-development mean for you?
A philosophical discussion about divinity
The effects of Autism on cognitive behavior
A philosophical discussion about good and bad
An in-depth look at witchcraft in ancient times
Where does our conscience go after we die?
A philosophical discussion about the concept of power
Uncovering evidence to support the existence of magic
The link between a person’s name and his traits.
Who decides what is good and what is bad?

Philosophy Paper Topics For College

If you are a college student looking to impress his teacher, you have arrived at the right place. Here are some of the best possible philosophy paper topics for college:

Discuss the concept of the beauty of the heart
Talk about law and ethics (balancing the two)
A philosophical discussion about reincarnation
Is the truth really an effective way to win an argument?
A philosophical discussion about popular legends
Talk about what it means to be proud of something
The impact of art on children in the United States
Can too much knowledge be dangerous?
Why do women love their hair so much?
A philosophical discussion about lies
Do we owe anything to robots?
A philosophical discussion about life and death
Talk about the bottom line in large corporations
An in-depth look at the concept of capitalism

Philosophy Paper Ideas For High School

We know many high school students are looking for topic for their next philosophy paper, so we have a whole list of philosophy paper ideas for high school:

A philosophical discussion about the voting age
Talk about the subconscious
Discuss abortion in modern society
A philosophical discussion about money
Can we justify torture?
A philosophical discussion about forgiveness

Philosophical Argument Topics

Do you want to write about a philosophical argument? Or perhaps you’ve been assigned an argumentative essay. Here are some of the best philosophical argument topics possible:

How objective is morality?
A philosophical discussion about homework
Talk about the future of the human race
A philosophical discussion about society
Problems with artificial intelligence
A philosophical discussion about ancient Rome gods

The Best Philosophical Questions

Our experienced writers managed to come up with the best philosophical questions for our readers, and you can now use them to write a paper for free:

The pros and cons of socialism
A philosophical discussion about biblical parables
Talk about the concept of an utopia
A philosophical discussion about the Covid-19 pandemic
Ethical dilemmas related to cloning
Discuss the implications of heavy smoking

Moral Philosophy Topics For Essays

Are you looking for some topics that are related to moral dilemmas in philosophy? Take a look at the list of moral philosophy topics for essays and pick one:

Talk about alcohol consumption
A philosophical discussion about tall people
An in-depth look at the colonization of America
A philosophical discussion about planet Earth
Colonizing other planets
A philosophical discussion about greed

Controversial Philosophy Paper Ideas

Students are encouraged to write on controversial ideas if they want to get top grades. In fact, we can help you with some interesting controversial philosophy paper ideas right now:

A philosophical discussion about abortion
Controversial philosophers in ancient Greece
A philosophical discussion about euthanasia
The moral implications of genetic engineering
The rich and the poor of America
A philosophical discussion about free will

Topics Related To Ethics In Philosophy

Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch that discusses concepts such as right and wrong. Check out our list of topics related to ethics in philosophy:

A philosophical discussion about standardized testing
Are people evil by nature?
Talk about the concept of ethical egoism
A philosophical discussion about nuclear weapons
Talk about metaethics in philosophy
A philosophical discussion about same sex marriage

Ancient Philosophy Ideas

You’ve surely heard about ancient philosophers and their immense contribution to our society. Here are some ancient philosophy ideas for your next research paper:

A philosophical discussion about eating disorders
An in-depth look at Immanuel Kant
Talk about philosophy in ancient Greece
A philosophical discussion about the concept of reality
The life and death of Socrates
Peculiarities about the Roman philosophy
A philosophical discussion about mythology

Philosophy Topics for an A+

Over the years, we’ve come to know which topics have the potential to get an A+. Here is an entire list of philosophy topics for an A+, just for you:

A philosophical discussion about Platonic realism
Caring for the environment is our duty
A philosophical discussion about the concept of universalism
What are designer babies?
A philosophical discussion about the human soul
Talk about steroids in sports

Political Philosophy Topics

Yes, there is such a thing as political philosophy. It’s not an easy subject to write about, but it can get you a top grade if you pull it off. Here are some relatively easy political philosophy topics:

A philosophical discussion about intellectuals
Race and justice in the United States
A philosophical discussion about magic in ancient times
What is Classical Liberalism?
A philosophical discussion about the spiritual aspects of life
Talk about the concept of social justice

The Best Philosophy Topics for 2023

Want to know which topics will work great in 2023? No problem, here is a well-researched list of the best philosophy topics for 2023:

A philosophical discussion about the concept of free will
Define low moral standards
A philosophical discussion about the concept of irony
Do you have a moral obligation to be honest?
A philosophical discussion about beauty standards
An in-depth look at Aristotle’s life

Practical Philosophy Ideas

Of course, you can write about putting philosophy concepts and principles in practice. We have some interesting practical philosophy ideas right here if you want to give it a try:

A philosophical discussion about our IQ
Discuss war and peace in the modern world
Philosophical implications of suicide
A philosophical discussion about state borders
Define love and explain why it’s important for happiness
The role of globalization
The relativity of truth
A philosophical discussion about
The moral implications of the death penalty

Our Most Interesting Topics

Of all the topics and ideas we’ve come up with, some were better than others. This is why we have created a separate list with our most interesting topics:

A philosophical discussion about a happy life
The concept of power in modern society
What is harmony?
What do you understand by eternity?
Does love last more than 3 years?
How can you boost your creativity?
The concept of law and order in our society
A philosophical discussion about zoos

The Best Philosophy Essay Questions

Perhaps you just need a good question to figure out the best topic for your next essay. These are the best philosophy essay questions we can think of:

What is an ideal world?
What does money mean to you?
What are the pros and cons of suicide?
What is a meaningful life?
How can we achieve world peace in the 21st century?
What is a meritocratic society?
How can one justify murder?
Are your parents responsible for your actions?
What is the role of society today?

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Use our free Readability checker

Are you searching for ideas for a philosophical paper? Then you are in luck to have found our page. Our compilations of standardized research themes are sure to inspire you to write a grade A+ essay. You ought to know that the contents of your research must meet academic standards set for sciences, and our suggestions are meant to steer you in the right trajectory. The first step of the writing process begins by looking for research topics in philosophy. This post helps in providing you with lists of philosophy research topics for your paper. Check title ideas prepared by our papers writing service and get ready to write your own paper.

What Are Philosophy Research Topics?

Most philosophy paper topics require a good amount of devotion to writing. Philosophy involves the study of axiology, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, logic, philosophy of science, philosophy of the mind, and aesthetics, to name just a few. Each of these branches can seem broad and complex, which is why most students find selecting a handful of philosophical research topics to be hectic. In fact, some people make the mistake of picking very intricate social science research topics of discussion in an attempt to impress their professors. The best approach, however, requires one to choose a simple but researchable subject matter. Identifying appropriate philosophy topics for a research paper is crucial in writing. Doing so narrows down your search significantly.

Characteristics of Good Philosophy Research Topics

Writers who earn high grades begin their research journey by choosing good research topics for philosophy. Doing so carries benefits, such as being able to write on a theme you like and understand well, which makes the process enjoyable. These merits later reflect in your final score on your philosophy paper. Looking out for these traits given below will allow you to find a unique subject matter for your essay easily. You should:

Select a fascinating topic because it activates your imagination.
If your theme is original, then you stand a higher chance of earning extra points compared to students who recycled from a list of overused philosophy research topics.
Your preferred research issue ought to have plenty of information available in published resources, including books and the Internet.

Read more: What Is a Research Paper & How to Write It?

How to Choose a Philosophy Research Paper Topic?

Successful formulation of your research topic, to a great extent, determines your final grade. You want to avoid the mistake of picking a philosophy paper topic that exceeds your grasp of knowledge. For example, if you are in your first year of college, you cannot tackle a philosophy research paper topic in the Ph.D. category. When picking your preferred theme, you should:

Consider the relevance of philosophy paper ideas to your specific area of study.
Refer to your class assignments as a source of inspiration for developing your interests.
Pick a topic that interests you, as this will allow you to research quickly in a fun and rewarding process.
Ensure that your preferred research issue aligns with your professor's instructions.
You need to discuss your selection with your instructor.

Interesting Philosophy Research Topics

There are numerous options within the interesting philosophy paper topics category. You need to have a good eye when picking from this collection because what you may consider attention-grabbing at times seems mundane to some people. Remember that your choice of essay topic should impress your professor. We have narrowed down the most thought-provoking themes and prepared a list of excellent philosophical paper topics that will captivate your instructor.

Supernatural claims: real or myth?
Can an individual find happiness despite them not having a family?
Truth as a virtue and its value in society.
Can one be rich without owning monetary wealth?
Why do people kill for religious reasons?
The psychology surrounding rules and obedience.
Can the main characteristics that make a person be changed?
Is it ethical to force people to observe science-backed traditions?
Notable modern life values.
Personal definition of happiness.
Three approaches to the substance of thinking: monistic, dualistic, and populistic.
French philosophies of the XIX-XX centuries.
The essence of man is reflected in ancient philosophy.
Comparing Plato's, Socrates', and Aristotle's philosophies.
Common notion regarding life after death.

Easy Philosophy Research Topics

If you want to write your paper faster, it makes sense to look for easy research topics in philosophy. Such themes are not hard to come by as they address commonly encountered philosophical questions in people's daily lives. You may decide to note down two or three philosophy topics to talk about from the list below and discuss them with your instructor.

What makes love last?
Society's role in your personal life.
The benefits of human emotions.
What constitutes an ideal world?
Good versus bad traits.
The role education plays in your personal life.
What are the principles of democracy?
What would you choose between pursuing your passions and landing a well-paying job?
Living without feeling alive.
Strengths associated with the Determinist theory.
In what ways does fear influence your everyday life?
Does faith change human nature?
Should abortion be made legal?
Why do most countries not allow human cloning?
What is harmony?

Fun Philosophy Paper Topics

Philosophical research topics can be fun and enjoyable, depending on the subject of discussion. Writing such themes is very engaging. Philosophy research paper topics in this category can be academic, informative, or for entertainment purposes.

Morality as a virtue.
Philosophical views in relation to space exploration.
What your cat thinks of you.
Why do people get irritated?
The irony in poverty and its philosophical perspectives.
Philosophical thoughts on what determines people's moods.
Humor and mental health : Is laughter the best medicine?
The irony of dying to live versus living to die.
Video games and how they affect our perception of the comedy of tragedy.
Machiavelli's ideas: Negatives and positives.
Analyzing humanity in contrast to divinity.
False beliefs about causes of death.
Have you ever felt like a minority in any aspect of your life?
Controversial aspect of modern life.
Is joy the same as happiness?

Good Philosophy Research Topics

To assist you in succeeding in writing philosophical essays, we have availed a list of good philosophy research paper ideas to inspire your writing. Also, if you are a teacher in need of topics for a philosophy paper for each student, you can pick from the following list.

Distinctions between humans and animals.
Would you prefer to love or be loved?
What does feminism mean to the world?
The essence of time as it relates to philosophy.
The age and wisdom.
Have you faced any ethical dilemmas in the last decade of your life?
Myths and the truth behind them.
Science from a philosophical standpoint.
Distinctions between ancient and modern life.
Honor as a concept applied in medieval Europe.
Top philosophers who lived in the 20th century.
Examining the connection between power and reason.
Possible rights of sentient robotics in the future.
Science's significance in humanity's daily living.
Is torture justifiable in any context?

We also have great ideas for psychology research topics and education research topics , to name a few. Browse our Blog for more title suggestions.

Intriguing Philosophy Research Topics

If you are looking for adequately formulated philosophy paper ideas, you are in luck, as we have a collection of topics that you may find very intriguing. You can share this resource with others who might be having a hard time acquiring topics for philosophy research paper for their writing assignments.

Is the subconscious mind physiological or abstract?
Similarities associated with ethics and behavior.
Maturity age and marriage age as defined by the social realm.
Pros and cons of total control over society's behavior by totalitarian regimes.
Beauty's effects on an individual's self-esteem.
The two sides of suicide: For and against it.
How are parents, in general, responsible for the actions of a child?
Ethical Issues surrounding the topic of experimentation on animal subjects.
Pros and cons associated with artificial intelligence.
Do animals have souls?
Do animals perceive human emotional states?
The ethics associated with the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
What is a "necessary evil?"
Pros and cons associated with marriage.
Is morality objective or subjective?

Philosophy Research Paper Topics for Students

Philosophy research topics are distinctively academic in nature. When presented with the task of delivering a philosophical essay, the best option for students is to read guides and examples of essays similar to the task at hand. Then they present proposed research topics in philosophy to their professor. The search can be odious, but we have made it easy for you to quickly settle on a topic and begin writing. Here is a list of philosophy topics for a research paper in high school or college.

Philosophy Research Topics for High School

Many high school students are searching for their next philosophy project ideas. If you are in such a situation, our philosophical paper topics resource below should at least help narrow your search.

Voting age dilemma: 16 or 18-year-olds.
The abstract nature of the subconscious.
Abortion as a question in life and death cycle.
Philosophical views on the subject of taxing the super-rich.
What lessons can younger people learn from your generation?
The philosophical view on forgiveness.
Positive thinking techniques.
Egg versus hen: Which came first?
Ethics and euthanasia.
Are social protests a practical approach to demand change?
Your greatest possession or treasure in life.
Utopia as critically reviewed through a philosopher's lens.
Missing ethical values in immortality.
What created the concept known as the " American dream ?"
Importance associated with philosophical studies.

Philosophy Research Topics for College Students

If you have been stressing thinking about philosophy term paper topics and you are lost on where to start, you are in luck, as you have landed on the right page. Here you will get a free list containing unique philosophical paper topics that you can use for your essay and impress your professor.

"Beauty of the Heart": is the concept probable?
Balancing law and ethics.
A philosophical view on reincarnation.
Does the truth always win an argument?
Philosophical thoughts on the epic of Gilgamesh and how it changed approaches to human conflict resolution.
What it means to "be proud of something."
Art's impact on children's creative thinking.
Is excessive knowledge dangerous?
Will technological advancements reach an end?
Inside a lying person's mind.
Do humans owe anything to robots?
The cycle of life and death.
Is "the bottom line" an American cultural phenomenon?
Is predatory capitalism in American healthcare ethical?
Celebrities as role models for the youth.

Extra Philosophy Research Paper Topics & Ideas

Philosophy is a broad discipline with numerous applications. It explores areas such as law, history, politics, art, ethics, and human life, among others. We have tried as much as possible to cover common philosophy research paper topics in our lists. You can navigate to any section in this post that relates to your current project and borrow philosophy paper ideas for free.

Ancient Philosophy Research Topics

Ancient philosophy research paper topics cover historical aspects. It is interesting to learn about early theories and developmental stages of philosophical notions. The advantage of selecting a theme from the category of ancient research topics in philosophy is that there are enough materials to base your paper on in numerous publications.

An ideal world as dreamt by Plato.
An in-depth look at Immanuel Kant.
Beliefs in ancient Greece.
Reality as conceptualized by Aristotle.
The life and death of Socrates.
Unique elements associated with Roman philosophy.
Philosophy and mythology.
Philosophy's role as a theoretical doctrine in ancient times.
Philosophical aspects in anthropology that are no longer relevant today.
Cosmological nature of early Greek philosophy .
"Know Thyself": Socrates.
Roman stoicism and the rise of Christianity.
Positive social changes as a result of Seneca's stoicism.
The concept of honor in medieval culture.
The evolution of ancient philosophy.

Read more: History Research Paper Topics

Political Philosophy Research Topics

This section contains a list of political and philosophical research topics and ideas. Philosophy has a keen focus on politics in all aspects, including political science. This relationship allows for a variety of research areas that you can explore. Here are 15 philosophy topics for a research paper that you should consider.

Enlightenment: political and philosophical ideas.
Do political lies amount to abusing freedom of speech?
Political revolution in Africa: Robert Mugabe.
What drives people to engage in civil disobedience?
Freedom and justice as political capital.
How the synthesis of Freudianism and Marxism in Fromm's literature is reflected in the national policies of some countries.
Political history as seen from a philosophical and ideological perspective.
Human freedom and responsibility as reflected in the policies of certain countries.
How politicians perceive the concept of superman in Nietzsche.
Changes to the political foundations with respect to the challenge of unity and diversity.
When does the truth become an epistemological and political problem?
Pessimism and optimism as approaches to the development of society when considered political Strategies.
Exploring the cultural and political self-determination of a human.
National idea and its role in the formation of civil society.
Roles of correctional institutions in punishment and criminal justice administration in America.

>> More ideas: Political Science Research Topics

Philosophy Paper Ideas on Ethics

Ethics and morality in philosophy is a branch that specializes in the idea of right and wrong. See our list of philosophy paper ideas. Checking through the compilation allows you to select a suitable philosophy research paper topic that makes you a candidate for a passing grade in your ethics essay .

A philosophical review of standardized tests.
Is evil naturally present in people?
Ethical egoism: good or bad?
Philosophical thoughts on the use of nuclear weapons.
Philosophical metaethics in the context of experimental science.
Same-sex marriages as seen through a philosopher's mind.
Alcoholism in the modern age.
Colonization in Africa and its moral implications.
American corporate greed as the main drive for neoliberalism.
Is venture capitalism evil?
Neoliberalism's effects on global labor markets.
An ethical and philosophical discussion of death sentence punishment.
Political manipulation and its effects on social trust.
Racism and gender discrimination's role in interstellar society.
What is the most effective way to discipline your children?

Philosophy Research Topics on Human Life

Human life philosophy is concerned with the study of the status of human beings in the universe, and it also investigates the purpose and meaning of life. In an attempt to answer these critical questions, students may be asked to write essays that are based on research topics for philosophy. If you find yourself in need of assistance with ideas for your essay, our suggestions list for philosophical paper topics is an excellent place to start looking.

Why happiness is such a complex life goal.
Things that cause human life to seem senseless.
Law and order as a recipe for peace.
What qualifies human life as meaningful?
What is a "perfect life" like?
Why do Africans, especially children, have a high happiness index despite impoverished states?
Would you desire to reincarnate?
Role of culture in human life.
Is there human-like life on other planets?
Mental health and its effect on living standards.
How AI will impact life in the next century.
What modern life custom is likely to fade over time?
What trajectory would life have followed without the Internet?
Distrust in long-distance relationships.
Do clones have souls?

Philosophy Research Topics About Art

Art is a testament to the creative human spirit, which links art to philosophy. If you are a student of art, you may be given a list of philosophy topics to talk about. Check out the art philosophy paper topics provided below.

Philosophical Ideas in Poetry and Architecture.
Leonardo da Vinci's painting is the true philosophy of the Renaissance.
Is photography an art?
Literature and philosophy as applied in political criticism.
Ideality in creativity as a manifestation of consciousness.
Creativity and art as a window to a person's inner spiritual world.
Artistic value vs aesthetic value.
Relationship between knowledge and creativity.
Philosophical aspects and art.
How will NFT (non-fungible tokens) usage change the future of art?
Is art simply a human spiritual activity or ritual?
Thoughts on art's lack of rational reproducibility and its bias towards symbolism and figurative forms of expression and cognition.
Philosophical exploration: The intersection between art, religion, and science.
Historical evolution involving the relationships between philosophy and history.
Existentialism as noted by A. Camus, G. Marcel, and J.P. Sartre.

Philosophy Research Topics From Experts

If you are interested in conducting research in your area of expertise, the following are current philosophical research topics that you can consider depending on your specialty. Looking through our compilation of expert philosophy topics can help you identify a research gap in your field to gain several philosophy paper ideas for your project.

An ideal world consisting of liberalism and fascism in political ideas.
Philosophy and mediation, according to Rene.
A summary: Charles Pierce's fixation on belief.
A summary of Buddhist philosophical ideals.
The ethics involving free will.
Post-Colonial and feminist philosophy.
Aristotle's friendship conditions.
Is there evidence for God's existence?
John McTaggart's unreality of time.
Apology by Crito and Plato.
A well-paid task versus a passion.
Life after death: What is the popular African viewpoint?
Modern life values that foster peace.
The most prominent bother that comes with loneliness.
How do religions die?

Philosophy Thesis Topics

Formulating proper thesis topics in philosophical subjects can prove challenging. Get started on any one of the philosophy topics for a research paper or thesis presented to you in this post. Our expert writers keenly formulated every proposition in the listing containing topics in philosophy for your thesis.

The robotics industry as seen from a philosophical angle.
A situation where humans have considered things as facts without evidence.
Views on artificial intelligence in philosophy.
The American dream's implications.
The classical Socratic method.
Hate crimes and how to combat them.
The remarkable life and death of Plato .
Honor was a social concept in ancient Rome.
What thoughts does the term "a life based on reason" invoke in your mind?
What is the ideal education in the 21st century?
Intuition is a human trait.
The power associated with slogans.
The flaws of fixation of belief.
Family values and how they influence personal character development.
Implications of time's relativity.

Bottom Line on Philosophy Research Paper Topics

This post is meant to provide both students and professionals with a resource where they can look up philosophy topics for a research paper. The importance of topic selection as a critical step in the writing process is evident. It influences the process that follows after leading up to your final grade or the quality of your final essay. As long as you pick an interesting and researchable topic, you are not likely to encounter extreme difficulties in your writing process. We hope that you have found the research topics in philosophy in this post helpful.

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200 Fascinating Philosophy Research Paper Topics for Students

Philosophy research provides a gateway to intellectual growth, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of the world. However, the true magic lies in choosing a topic that resonates, as it can invigorate the research process and yield profound insights. This awesome blog post presents an extraordinary compilation of 300 fascinating philosophy research topics for students. Each topic can ignite curiosity, provoke contemplation, and foster meaningful discoveries. Something you could see in the work done by professional Online writing services providers. Let’s check them out.

Table of Contents

Intriguing Philosophy Research Paper Topics for Students and Researchers

Explore the fascinating world of philosophy with our writers ‘ extensive selection of philosophy topics. Let’s get started with the first list.

Existentialist Philosophy Research Paper Topics

Figure out the deeper meanings of existentialism and investigate interesting research paper topics that look into the details of human life.

An analysis of the philosophical approach between existentialism and essentialism
The Existentialism vs Essentialism Approach in Sartre’s Philosophy
What is the philosophy’s view of human existence regarding the world around us?
Many things exist in common between atheism and existentialism, but what are they
Existentialism: its origins and Development
“Existence precedes essence,” according to the Sartrean theory.
Which existentialist writer is regarded as the father of existential literature? Is Beckett better than Sartre?
Romantic love vs existential philosophy : How do they relate?
Waiting for Godot: A Study of Existentialism
An examination of existentialist thinking in the character of The Joker, from DC Comics
Existentialism in the Endgame: An Overview
What is No Exit About? An existentialist analysis of Sartre’s most popular play
A discussion of the implications of existentialism
Camus’s literature and the theme of existentialism
“One Must Imagine Sisyphus Happy.” An extract from the play The Myth of Sisyphus.
An analysis of the historical and analytical background of the statement “To live is to suffer.”
Existentialism and Sartre’s philosophy of existence
An analysis of the work of Françoise Sagan from the perspective of existentialist theory
A study of the relationship between existentialism and pessimism and discouragement
Do boredom and indifference have anything to do with the existence of existential dread?
What is literature’s meaning, and how does it relate to the quest for meaning?
Existentialism’s epistemology: an overview
Word and Worlds: The Search for Meaning in Sartre’s Word and Worlds
No Exit: Sartre’s Existential Dread in an Age of Crisis
An analysis of contextual equivocation and existentialism during the post-World War II era
In search of meaning in literature: the silence of the word
Nietzsche’s Übermensch, the search for meaning in life, and the escape from its dread
A study of the relationship between the theatre of absurdity and existentialism
The kiss between Garcin and Estelle in No Exit depicts several things: What does the kiss symbolize?

Absurdism Philosophy Research Paper Topics

Push the limits of rational thought and make meaning by exploring our interesting research paper topics on absurdism philosophy. Check out the list:

Theatrical works that portray absurdism as a theme
The works of Albert Camus are narrative
An inter-textual analysis of some of the most famous absurdist works
How does Waiting for Godot fit into the ethical context?
What do you think? Is Godot God, or is he Jesus, or is he Karl Marx?
An analysis of the sociological context of the film Waiting for Godot
What is the religious context of Waiting for Godot?
Jean Genet’s The Balcony: A Metaphysical Context for the Painting
An Analysis of The Dumb Waiter in the Context of its Time and Place
In Act Without Words by Beckett, the author discusses the existentialist theory and the absence of words
An Analysis of The Bald Soprano from a literary perspective
Literature written by Camus has a sociological dimension that deserves attention
Camus’ Myth of Sisyphus: From the Absurd to the Sublime
Albert Camus rejects the traditional novel in his famous novel The Rejection of the Traditional Novel
Meursault, the man of absurdity
An example of the absurd being presented abroad is the absurd
The Portrayal of an Endless Absurdism in No Exit: Explorations into Existential Hell
No Exit by Sartre refers to Hell as “other people,” but what does that mean?
An analysis of the cinematography of No Exit
Analyses of the cinematography in Waiting for Godot
An analysis of the cinematography of Endgame by Beckett
Beckett and Sartre: portraits of absurdist characters in absurdist plays
Analyzing the text in Waiting for Godot from a textual perspective
Analyzing No Exit’s text based on its content
An analysis of Endgame by Beckett based on its text
Despite Hamm’s existential suffering, he continues to strive. A detailed study of the titular character from Endgame

Nihilism Research Paper Topics

Explore the depths of nihilism philosophy by picking one of our carefully selected research paper topics.

Nietzsche’s philosophy of Nihilism and existentialism and how they relate
It is said that modern philosophy has been doomed to Nihilism
Nihilism: a question that needs to be answered
Nietzsche’s Complete Nihilism, in its entirety.
The concept of Nihilism and the concept of the death of God
Does Nihilism offer a solution to human misery, or are there other ways to deal with it?
Incomplete Traditions of nihilistic thought
An Examination of Nihilism in the Poetry of Modern Indian Poets
An Introduction to Nietzsche’s Philosophy of Nihilism
The quest for meaning in Nietzsche’s philosophy and modern research on it
Nietzsche’s Quest and the Role of Zarathustra in Nietzsche’s Philosophy
Concepts of existentialist Nihilism related to Nietzschean philosophy
Nihilism in Sartre’s Philosophy and its Relation to existentialist thought
Nihilism as seen from an anthropological point of view
What is the concept of free will, and does it exist?
The conflict between religion and Nihilism and the conflict between superstition and reason
Conceptual relationships between Nihilism and basic existentialist ideas
Is it possible to reconcile ethics with Nihilism?
Nihilism as a philosophical concept and the search for its meaning and origin
The Concept of Nihilism in the 21st Century: Defining It in a Nutshell
The major force behind postmodern culture has been Nihilism
Nietzsche’s ethics as the counterpart to religion and as a replacement for it
An Analysis of Sartre’s Ethics: Principles and Values
Nietzsche’s conception of authenticity is one of the most significant features of his ethics
The Ethics of Nietzsche and the Humanism it embodies

Metaphysics Research Paper Topics

Let’s look at how Hegel’s literature and history are linked and what types of timeframes he used in his works. Here’s a list that’ll help.

Maurice Blanchot and Images: The Question of Imagery
Second Analytics in the Western World during the 13th Century: an analysis
An exploration of life from vanity to wisdom
Thomas Aquinas’ demonstration based on his teachings
Phenomenology of fantasy as a field of study
The relationship between Nietzsche’s philosophy of affectivity and hermeneutics of power
Often used in modern video games as a metaphysical concept.
An Examination of passive creation in Thomas Aquinas and his contemporaries
Believing in oneself and its relevance
The Dialogues of Love witnessed a revival of Aristotelianism during the middle of the 17th Century.
The Revolution, History, and Politics of the 20th Century
Interpretation of musical experiences, poetic expressions, and artistic creations
Reflection on self-awareness and self-awareness in practice
The concept of truth and existence
A comparison of Kant and Husserl’s philosophies of meaning about the problem of meaning

Literary Philosophy Literature Research Paper Topics

Explore the fascinating world of literary philosophy by checking out our curated list of research paper topics! It’s a great way to dive into some big existential questions. Here’s another list of topics in philosophy for you.

Shakespeare used several philosophical concepts in his plays
Marlowe’s philosophy in the works he wrote
Renaissance Literature and the Role of Aristotelian Philosophy in its Development
A Study of Philosophy in the Works of modern writers
What are the three philosophical functions of literature
Manifestations of Philosophical Content in Literature and the Relevance of Literary Philosophy
A comparison of different literary theories
A study of numerology compared to dactylomancy
What is literary philosophy, and what are its definitions?
Critique of philosophy through the use of philosophy
The fields of philosophy that deal with literature in some way
A brief history of the Origins of Philosophy in Literature
The role that Greek philosophy has played in the development of literature
Aristotle’s Poetics: Philosophical concepts from Aristotle’s Poetics
Platonic philosophy and its influence on European literature from the Middle Ages to the Modern Era
The debate between Plato and Aristotle
The difference between implicit and explicit symbolism

Socialism and Philosophy Research Paper Topics

Question the traditional views and think about the philosophical side of socialism with our fascinating research paper topics. Check out this list of philosophy topics to write about.

An explanation of the concept of philosophical economy
Whether or not there is a possibility of phenomenological reduction
The concept of family, the ethical bond, and the recognition that goes along with it
Feminist activism in the 21st Century is confronted with the issue of the economic subject
A phenomenological study of Marx and Husserl’s work
A Philosophical Analysis of Karl Marx’s Thought
Karl Marx was a proponent of an Eco socialist work philosophy during the 20th Century.
Brecht’s plays can be seen as an expression of socialism
An examination of Chekhov’s plays in the light of socialism through a comparative analysis
The utopian socialism of the 19th Century in Great Britain
An analysis of the role that socialist literature played in the Russian Revolution
Europe’s Reaction to socialist literature in the 20th Century
According to Karl Marx, a well-paid job is enough for a man’s welfare.
Is socialism more of a philosophy than a political movement?
The political philosophy of Karl Marx: How It Influenced the modern world as It Is
Evolution of socialism
How socialism and communism are different from each other?
Cultural Impacts of Communism in Further Western Europe and the US
The socialist pressure that abolished slavery and raised worker’s rights

Interesting Topics in Philosophy

Spark your interest in learning more about philosophy with our exciting research topics ! Here’s the list of interesting philosophy paper topics.

Ethical ideas and ethical conduct related to human nature
Human beings on other planets? Possibility of it and ethical questions
Genetic engineering is a dream job for a perfect life, but is it ethical?
What are Nietzche’s views on a supreme religion, and how does he differ from ancient philosophers?
Human life affected by artificial intelligence is a strong thesis statement .
Morals related to contemporary youth: Final point
Postmodern Ideas and social behaviour in the contemporary world
Have there been previous attempts at creating artificial babies? Philosophy and Earth Ethics
Do human beings deserve capital punishment? Religious Beliefs and moral philosophy
What are the positive aspects of universal language in human development?
Genetic studies contribute a lot to human development, but it has negative features and a dark side.
Historical philosophy research related to human behaviour in twentieth-century
Islamic philosophy improved moral behaviour and contributed to modern Society: A comparative analysis.
Moral obligations related to human life on other planets
Human Beings in developing countries: God’s Abandoned Creation
Can a rich person be trusted with his thesis statement related to the perspective of an ideal society?
A happy life and an ideal society? Do both targets lie under the same morality objective?
Philosophy essay about a happy life
Philosophical literature leaves human life senseless. Do you agree? Why or why not?
Human life and artificial intelligence: How to maintain crucial modern life values?
A case study of a college student
How did the presence of God change human nature in the history of human beings?
Easy Philosophy Paper Topics.
Ethical and economic foundations
Philosophical and ethical considerations
Teaching Philosophy to Children: a tool for educating them
Surgical procedures affecting intimate areas of women’s bodies
A critique of Schopenhauer’s asceticism
Individual Rights and collective rights: the case of Syrian Refugees
The mainstreaming of justice and injustice in the development
Who is responsible for corruption and poverty in developing countries?
South Asia’s Journey to social progress through Technology
A Study of Literature and Philosophy during the Enlightenment
Considering our responsibilities when it comes to refugee issues
The importance of philosophical works in saving the planet
Authoritarian regimes, political ignorance, and electoral corruption
Vulnerabilities in Society’s structural foundations
What is the relationship between philosophy and mental health?
Environmental sustainability can be metaphorical or literal. What’s the difference?
A collection of philosophical works about music and the performing arts
A proposal for resolving the identity crisis among Middle East refugees
Explanations for the evolution of life based on mechanisms and teleology
Concepts of Skepticism based on Hegelian philosophy
Was Freud more of a philosopher or a scientist in the science of consciousness and psychoanalysis?
Political Engagement and the Ethics of companionship
The Relationship between Philosophy and Politics in Ancient Greece
Does original talent exist? The philosophical as well as literary debates of T.S. Elliot
Aristotle’s Poetics: How do they oppose Plato’s Utopia
Why did Plato want to banish poets from his ideal world?

As you have reached the conclusion section, we expect that you have already shortlisted a topic or two for your philosophy research paper. A good topic is very important for a perfect paper. Hence, we tried to give you unique and interesting subjects to pick from. If you are still in sixes and sevens about what to write or how to write a research paper , order now, and one of our experts will be right with you.

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Research Philosophy & Paradigms

Positivism, Interpretivism & Pragmatism, Explained Simply

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Reviewer: Eunice Rautenbach (DTech) | June 2023

Research philosophy is one of those things that students tend to either gloss over or become utterly confused by when undertaking formal academic research for the first time. And understandably so – it’s all rather fluffy and conceptual. However, understanding the philosophical underpinnings of your research is genuinely important as it directly impacts how you develop your research methodology.

In this post, we’ll explain what research philosophy is , what the main research paradigms are and how these play out in the real world, using loads of practical examples . To keep this all as digestible as possible, we are admittedly going to simplify things somewhat and we’re not going to dive into the finer details such as ontology, epistemology and axiology (we’ll save those brain benders for another post!). Nevertheless, this post should set you up with a solid foundational understanding of what research philosophy and research paradigms are, and what they mean for your project.

Overview: Research Philosophy

What is a research philosophy or paradigm ?
Positivism 101
Interpretivism 101
Pragmatism 101
Choosing your research philosophy

What is a research philosophy or paradigm?

Research philosophy and research paradigm are terms that tend to be used pretty loosely, even interchangeably. Broadly speaking, they both refer to the set of beliefs, assumptions, and principles that underlie the way you approach your study (whether that’s a dissertation, thesis or any other sort of academic research project).

For example, one philosophical assumption could be that there is an external reality that exists independent of our perceptions (i.e., an objective reality), whereas an alternative assumption could be that reality is constructed by the observer (i.e., a subjective reality). Naturally, these assumptions have quite an impact on how you approach your study (more on this later…).

The research philosophy and research paradigm also encapsulate the nature of the knowledge that you seek to obtain by undertaking your study. In other words, your philosophy reflects what sort of knowledge and insight you believe you can realistically gain by undertaking your research project. For example, you might expect to find a concrete, absolute type of answer to your research question , or you might anticipate that things will turn out to be more nuanced and less directly calculable and measurable . Put another way, it’s about whether you expect “hard”, clean answers or softer, more opaque ones.

So, what’s the difference between research philosophy and paradigm?

Well, it depends on who you ask. Different textbooks will present slightly different definitions, with some saying that philosophy is about the researcher themselves while the paradigm is about the approach to the study . Others will use the two terms interchangeably. And others will say that the research philosophy is the top-level category and paradigms are the pre-packaged combinations of philosophical assumptions and expectations.

To keep things simple in this video, we’ll avoid getting tangled up in the terminology and rather focus on the shared focus of both these terms – that is that they both describe (or at least involve) the set of beliefs, assumptions, and principles that underlie the way you approach your study .

Importantly, your research philosophy and/or paradigm form the foundation of your study . More specifically, they will have a direct influence on your research methodology , including your research design , the data collection and analysis techniques you adopt, and of course, how you interpret your results. So, it’s important to understand the philosophy that underlies your research to ensure that the rest of your methodological decisions are well-aligned .

Research philosophy describes the set of beliefs, assumptions, and principles that underlie the way you approach your study.

So, what are the options?

We’ll be straight with you – research philosophy is a rabbit hole (as with anything philosophy-related) and, as a result, there are many different approaches (or paradigms) you can take, each with its own perspective on the nature of reality and knowledge . To keep things simple though, we’ll focus on the “big three”, namely positivism , interpretivism and pragmatism . Understanding these three is a solid starting point and, in many cases, will be all you need.

Paradigm 1: Positivism

When you think positivism, think hard sciences – physics, biology, astronomy, etc. Simply put, positivism is rooted in the belief that knowledge can be obtained through objective observations and measurements . In other words, the positivist philosophy assumes that answers can be found by carefully measuring and analysing data, particularly numerical data .

As a research paradigm, positivism typically manifests in methodologies that make use of quantitative data , and oftentimes (but not always) adopt experimental or quasi-experimental research designs. Quite often, the focus is on causal relationships – in other words, understanding which variables affect other variables, in what way and to what extent. As a result, studies with a positivist research philosophy typically aim for objectivity, generalisability and replicability of findings.

Let’s look at an example of positivism to make things a little more tangible.

Assume you wanted to investigate the relationship between a particular dietary supplement and weight loss. In this case, you could design a randomised controlled trial (RCT) where you assign participants to either a control group (who do not receive the supplement) or an intervention group (who do receive the supplement). With this design in place, you could measure each participant’s weight before and after the study and then use various quantitative analysis methods to assess whether there’s a statistically significant difference in weight loss between the two groups. By doing so, you could infer a causal relationship between the dietary supplement and weight loss, based on objective measurements and rigorous experimental design.

As you can see in this example, the underlying assumptions and beliefs revolve around the viewpoint that knowledge and insight can be obtained through carefully controlling the environment, manipulating variables and analysing the resulting numerical data . Therefore, this sort of study would adopt a positivistic research philosophy. This is quite common for studies within the hard sciences – so much so that research philosophy is often just assumed to be positivistic and there’s no discussion of it within the methodology section of a dissertation or thesis.

Positivism is rooted in the belief that knowledge can be obtained through objective observations and measurements of an external reality.

Paradigm 2: Interpretivism

If you can imagine a spectrum of research paradigms, interpretivism would sit more or less on the opposite side of the spectrum from positivism. Essentially, interpretivism takes the position that reality is socially constructed . In other words, that reality is subjective , and is constructed by the observer through their experience of it , rather than being independent of the observer (which, if you recall, is what positivism assumes).

The interpretivist paradigm typically underlies studies where the research aims involve attempting to understand the meanings and interpretations that people assign to their experiences. An interpretivistic philosophy also typically manifests in the adoption of a qualitative methodology , relying on data collection methods such as interviews , observations , and textual analysis . These types of studies commonly explore complex social phenomena and individual perspectives, which are naturally more subjective and nuanced.

Let’s look at an example of the interpretivist approach in action:

Assume that you’re interested in understanding the experiences of individuals suffering from chronic pain. In this case, you might conduct in-depth interviews with a group of participants and ask open-ended questions about their pain, its impact on their lives, coping strategies, and their overall experience and perceptions of living with pain. You would then transcribe those interviews and analyse the transcripts, using thematic analysis to identify recurring themes and patterns. Based on that analysis, you’d be able to better understand the experiences of these individuals, thereby satisfying your original research aim.

As you can see in this example, the underlying assumptions and beliefs revolve around the viewpoint that insight can be obtained through engaging in conversation with and exploring the subjective experiences of people (as opposed to collecting numerical data and trying to measure and calculate it). Therefore, this sort of study would adopt an interpretivistic research philosophy. Ultimately, if you’re looking to understand people’s lived experiences , you have to operate on the assumption that knowledge can be generated by exploring people’s viewpoints, as subjective as they may be.

Interpretivism takes the position that reality is constructed by the observer through their experience of it, rather than being independent.

Paradigm 3: Pragmatism

Now that we’ve looked at the two opposing ends of the research philosophy spectrum – positivism and interpretivism, you can probably see that both of the positions have their merits , and that they both function as tools for different jobs . More specifically, they lend themselves to different types of research aims, objectives and research questions . But what happens when your study doesn’t fall into a clear-cut category and involves exploring both “hard” and “soft” phenomena? Enter pragmatism…

As the name suggests, pragmatism takes a more practical and flexible approach, focusing on the usefulness and applicability of research findings , rather than an all-or-nothing, mutually exclusive philosophical position. This allows you, as the researcher, to explore research aims that cross philosophical boundaries, using different perspectives for different aspects of the study .

With a pragmatic research paradigm, both quantitative and qualitative methods can play a part, depending on the research questions and the context of the study. This often manifests in studies that adopt a mixed-method approach , utilising a combination of different data types and analysis methods. Ultimately, the pragmatist adopts a problem-solving mindset , seeking practical ways to achieve diverse research aims.

Let’s look at an example of pragmatism in action:

Imagine that you want to investigate the effectiveness of a new teaching method in improving student learning outcomes. In this case, you might adopt a mixed-methods approach, which makes use of both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis techniques. One part of your project could involve comparing standardised test results from an intervention group (students that received the new teaching method) and a control group (students that received the traditional teaching method). Additionally, you might conduct in-person interviews with a smaller group of students from both groups, to gather qualitative data on their perceptions and preferences regarding the respective teaching methods.

As you can see in this example, the pragmatist’s approach can incorporate both quantitative and qualitative data . This allows the researcher to develop a more holistic, comprehensive understanding of the teaching method’s efficacy and practical implications , with a synthesis of both types of data . Naturally, this type of insight is incredibly valuable in this case, as it’s essential to understand not just the impact of the teaching method on test results, but also on the students themselves!

Pragmatism takes a more flexible approach, focusing on the potential usefulness and applicability of the research findings.

Wrapping Up: Philosophies & Paradigms

Now that we’ve unpacked the “big three” research philosophies or paradigms – positivism, interpretivism and pragmatism, hopefully, you can see that research philosophy underlies all of the methodological decisions you’ll make in your study. In many ways, it’s less a case of you choosing your research philosophy and more a case of it choosing you (or at least, being revealed to you), based on the nature of your research aims and research questions .

Research philosophies and paradigms encapsulate the set of beliefs, assumptions, and principles that guide the way you, as the researcher, approach your study and develop your methodology.
Positivism is rooted in the belief that reality is independent of the observer, and consequently, that knowledge can be obtained through objective observations and measurements.
Interpretivism takes the (opposing) position that reality is subjectively constructed by the observer through their experience of it, rather than being an independent thing.
Pragmatism attempts to find a middle ground, focusing on the usefulness and applicability of research findings, rather than an all-or-nothing, mutually exclusive philosophical position.

If you’d like to learn more about research philosophy, research paradigms and research methodology more generally, be sure to check out the rest of the Grad Coach blog . Alternatively, if you’d like hands-on help with your research, consider our private coaching service , where we guide you through each stage of the research journey, step by step.

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

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16 Comments

was very useful for me, I had no idea what a philosophy is, and what type of philosophy of my study. thank you

Thanks for this explanation, is so good for me

You contributed much to my master thesis development and I wish to have again your support for PhD program through research.

the way of you explanation very good keep it up/continuous just like this

Very precise stuff. It has been of great use to me. It has greatly helped me to sharpen my PhD research project!

Very clear and very helpful explanation above. I have clearly understand the explanation.

Very clear and useful. Thanks

Thanks so much for your insightful explanations of the research philosophies that confuse me

I would like to thank Grad Coach TV or Youtube organizers and presenters. Since then, I have been able to learn a lot by finding very informative posts from them.

thank you so much for this valuable and explicit explanation,cheers

Hey, at last i have gained insight on which philosophy to use as i had little understanding on their applicability to my current research. Thanks

Tremendously useful

thank you and God bless you. This was very helpful, I had no understanding before this.

USEFULL IN DEED!

Explanations to the research paradigm has been easy to follow. Well understood and made my life easy.

Very useful content. This will make my research life easy.

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Articles on Philosophy

Displaying 1 - 20 of 579 articles.

How can busy people also keep fit and healthy? Here’s what the ancient Greeks and Romans did

Konstantine Panegyres , The University of Melbourne

We can only dream up a better future when we dig into the unfinished past

Filippo Menozzi , Liverpool John Moores University

Ancient scroll reveals new story of Plato’s death – here’s why you should be suspicious of it

Bert van den Berg , Leiden University

As humans, we all want self-respect – and keeping that in mind might be the missing ingredient when you try to change someone’s mind

Colin Marshall , University of Washington

Paul Auster: a great American writer of sophistication, innovation and intellect

Lucyl Harrison , University of Hull

Radical Optimism is Dua Lipa’s philosophy for dealing with life’s chaos – but radical openness is a better approach

Joshua Forstenzer , University of Sheffield

What is meaningful work? A philosopher’s view

Caleb Althorpe , Trinity College Dublin

Know thyself − all too well: Why Taylor Swift’s songs are philosophy

Jessica Flanigan , University of Richmond

The beginnings of modern science shaped how philosophers saw alien life – and how we understand it today

Philip C. Almond , The University of Queensland

How logic alone may prove that time doesn’t exist

Matyáš Moravec , University of St Andrews

In a time of information overload, enigmatic philosopher Byung-Chul Han seeks the re-enchantment of the world

Heather Blakey , The University of Western Australia

This philosophical theory can help you stop taking criticism personally

Samantha Fazekas , Trinity College Dublin

A philosopher makes the case for a thoughtful life – but life is more than a thought experiment

Oscar Davis , Bond University

William Blake’s Universe: making a European out of the poet and artist who never left England

Sarah Haggarty , University of Cambridge

The mystery of consciousness shows there may be a limit to what science alone can achieve

Philip Goff , Durham University

Friday essay: from political bees to talking pigs – how ancient thinkers saw the human-animal divide

Julia Kindt , University of Sydney

Jürgen Habermas is a major public intellectual. What are his key ideas?

Duncan Ivison , University of Sydney

As a rabbi, philosopher and physician, Maimonides wrestled with religion and reason – the book he wrote to reconcile them, ‘Guide to the Perplexed,’ has sparked debate ever since

Randy L. Friedman , Binghamton University, State University of New York

Are you really in love? How expanding your love lexicon can change your relationships and how you see yourself

Georgi Gardiner , University of Tennessee

‘ Self-love ’ might seem selfish. But done right, it’s the opposite of narcissism

Ian Robertson , University of Wollongong

Top contributors

Associate Professor of Philosophy, Deakin University

Associate Professor in Philosophy, Australian Catholic University

Associate Professor of Philosophy of Education, University of Birmingham

Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Education; Curriculum Director, UQ Critical Thinking Project, The University of Queensland

Professor of Philosophy, La Trobe University

Associate Lecturer, University of Notre Dame Australia

Professor of Philosophy, University of Pretoria

Honorary Associate in Philosophy, University of Sydney

Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University

Researcher, UQ Critical Thinking Project, The University of Queensland

Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Ethics, Nottingham Trent University

Associate Professor, Philosophy of Science, The University of Melbourne

Assistant Professor in Philosophy and History, Bond University

Associate Professor of Philosophy, author of The Meaning of Travel: Philosophers Abroad (2020), Durham University

Professor of Public Ethics, Charles Sturt University

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What Are the New Questions of Philosophy?

2018, in trending philosophical topics.

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“Right now there are few or no regulations, guidelines, or ethical agreements that have addressed many of the real issues that are facing the world,” a Masthead member wrote on our forums last week. His comment stoked a thoughtful conversation about whether established thinking and entrenched institutions can effectively navigate the complexity of the contemporary world, or whether fresh approaches are required. It led my fellow Masthead editors and I to a question: What subjects are now being confronted at the frontiers of philosophical inquiry, breaking from the familiar philosophical concerns of canonical figures like Plato, Locke, and Descartes? In today’s issue, you’ll hear from two philosophers who have thought deeply about the new questions shaping their field, and explore new additions to one of the most robust online resources for budding philosophers.

—Caroline Kitchener

How often do you move?

On Friday, we’ll be looking into geographic mobility, and how you—our members—have come to choose the place you call “home.” Take a few seconds, and fill out our quick survey .

What New Philosophical Questions Can Help Clarify the Modern Day?

By Caroline Kitchener

The canon of well-known philosophers is small, and mostly limited to a demographically homogeneous group of figures such as Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Hume, and Locke. “Many people just assume we know who the great thinkers are—[the traditional philosophical canon] is not really in question,” said Andrew Janiak, a professor of philosophy at Duke and the editor of Project Vox, a nonprofit devoted to diversifying the field of philosophy. But Janiak, whose work we wrote about in 2015 , told me the canon is starting to diversify, slowly, in two key ways: by broadening the range of voices (especially beyond white men) on the longstanding questions of philosophy, and by broadening the scope of philosophical inquiry to new, more current questions.

The new questions go beyond probing the existence of God and the nature of consciousness to respond directly to the concerns of today, from the lives of marginalized groups to the stresses of modern relationships, said Elizabeth Harman, a professor of philosophy and human values at Princeton. I asked Janiak and Harman, a professor of philosophy and human values at Princeton, to each share an example of an emerging philosophical question, and make a few suggestions for further reading.

1. The Lived Reality of Love

By Elizabeth Harman, Professor of Philosophy and Human Values at Princeton University and co-editor (with Alexander Guerrero) of the forthcoming book, The Norton Introduction to Ethics

While philosophers have traditionally discussed the nature of love, philosophers today are taking seriously its lived reality, and the implications of that reality. Love is not just romantic love between two people. The lived reality of love includes polyamorous love, love between siblings, love between friends, love of fetuses and children, and many other types and forms of love. Considering love as it is actually lived leads us to new questions: such as how we should recognize the loving relationships of others, and how we should treat the objects of love.

Should we privilege two-person, romantic relationships?

Elizabeth Brake, a professor of philosophy at Arizona State University, argues that the benefits of marriage should not be restricted to romantic relationships, and should not be limited to relationships between pairs: Two platonic friends, or three lovers together, should be able to marry.

Reading List :

Elizabeth Brake, Minimizing Marriage

Do we owe our loved ones the benefit of the doubt?

Sarah Stroud and Simon Keller have each compellingly argued that the answer is “yes.” Even when we have sufficient evidence for a friend’s guilt, we should refrain from believing ill of her, except perhaps in the face of overwhelming evidence.

Simon Keller, “ Friendship and Belief ,” Philosophical Papers

Sarah Stroud, “ Epistemic Partiality in Friendship ,” Ethics

How does love affect the ethics of procreation?

I have argued that we can love fetuses from the moment they are conceived, which shows that these fetuses matter morally. This might appear to imply that something bad happens in an early abortion, but I argue that this does not follow. Rather, the moral status of early fetuses depends on whether they actually have futures as persons. (Here’s the actor James Franco interviewing me about this.)

Elizabeth Harman, “ Creation Ethics : The Ethics of Abortion and the Moral Status of Early Fetuses,” Philosophy and Public Affairs

Elizabeth Harman, “‘ I’ll Be Glad I Did It ’ Reasoning and the Significance of Future Desires,” Philosophical Perspectives

2. Gender and the History of Philosophy

By Andrew Janiak, Professor of Philosophy at Duke University

The old idea that women never produced any important works of philosophy is increasingly being revealed as a sham. The historical record is full of treatises, plays, poems, and letters written by women who contributed to philosophy over the past few centuries, from Margaret Cavendish in England—the first woman to visit the Royal Society in London—to Emilie Du Chatelet in France. Scholars throughout the world are now excavating their works and bringing them into the light. We now have a virtuous circle: The more that scholars search through history for the lost contributions of women to philosophy, the more we find. The more we find, the more we can teach our students about such contributions, thereby generating more interest in new discoveries.

What contributions have women made to modern philosophy?

Through detailed arguments and footnotes replete with citations, Eileen O’Neill has shown that women made numerous contributions to philosophy from 1600-1800, and that their work has been systematically ignored in histories of philosophy. And in the volume Women and Liberty, 1600-1800, Jacqueline Broad and Karen Detlefsen document how women wrote about liberty and gender-based oppression across several centuries, subjects on which many male “canonical” figures were silent.

Eileen O’Neill, “Disappearing ink: early modern women philosophers and their fate in history,” in Philosophy in a Feminist Voice , edited by Janet Kourany

Women and Liberty, 1600-1800 , edited by Jacqueline Broad and Karen Detlefsen

What is the state of gender relations in philosophy today?

The contributions to the collection, Women in Philosophy: What Needs to Change , tackle the dramatic underrepresentation of women in philosophy, suggesting solutions to this increasingly acknowledged problem.

Women in Philosophy: What Needs to Change , edited by Katrina Hutchison and Fiona Jenkins

2018, in Trending Philosophical Topics

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP) is a collection of more than 1,600 online entries of pertinent philosophical topics. In order to decide which topics make it onto the platform, the Encyclopedia “[relies] on the judgments of our subject editors, who sometimes have to make hard decisions,” said Edward Zalta, the principal editor of SEP, and a senior research scholar at Stanford University. The Atlantic ’s Robinson Meyer wrote about the resource in 2012, when a page on the ethics of social networking platforms was added. The Encyclopedia lists their entries chronologically, so we looked into some of its most recent additions, many of which seem to respond directly to the issues of the day. Here are a few of the newer entries, along with brief excerpts from the Encyclopedia.

1. Artificial Intelligence (Added July 12)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the field devoted to building artificial animals (or at least artificial creatures that—in suitable contexts— appear to be animals) and, for many, artificial persons (or at least artificial creatures that—in suitable contexts— appear to be persons). Such goals immediately ensure that AI is a discipline of considerable interest to many philosophers, and this has been confirmed (e.g.) by the energetic attempt, on the part of numerous philosophers, to show that these goals are in fact un/attainable.

2. Sex and Sexuality (Added July 5)

Sex has received little attention in the history of western philosophy, and what it did receive was not good: Plato denigrated it, arguing that it should lead to something higher or better … Aristotle barely mentioned it, and Christian philosophers condemned it: Augustine argued that its pleasures are dangerous in mastering us, and allowed sex only for procreation, while Aquinas confined its permissibility to conjugal, procreative acts.

3. Feminist Philosophy (Added June 28)

As feminist philosophers carry out work in traditional philosophical fields, from ethics to epistemology, they have introduced new concepts and perspectives that have transformed philosophy itself. They are also rendering philosophical previously un-problematized topics, such as the body, class and work, disability, the family, reproduction, the self, sex work, human trafficking, and sexuality. And they are bringing a particularly feminist lens to issues of science, globalization, human rights, popular culture, and race and racism.

4. The Ethics of Manipulation (Added March 30)

To say that Irving manipulated Tonya is commonly taken to be a moral criticism of Irving’s behavior. Is manipulation always immoral? Why is manipulation immoral (when it is immoral)? If manipulation is not always immoral, then what determines when it is immoral?

5. Disagreement (Added February 23)

You may disagree with your spouse or partner about whether to live together, whether to get married, where you should live, or how to raise your children. People with political power disagree about how to spend enormous amounts of money, or about what laws to pass, or about wars to fight. If only we were better able to resolve our disagreements, we would probably save millions of lives and prevent millions of others from living in poverty.

Today’s Wrap Up

Today’s Question : What do you think are some of the new philosophical questions worth considering? Are there any topics you think the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy should include that it doesn’t?

What’s Coming : Over on the forums , there has been much talk about the concept of home. How did you come to live where you live, and why do you stay there? On Friday, we’ll look into those questions.

Your Feedback : How are we doing? Take our quick survey and let us know.

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to [email protected].

Philosophy: Developing Topics & Research Questions

About this Guide
How to Read Philosophy
What Are Databases?
Developing Topics & Research Questions
Reviewing Search Strategies
Scholarly Books
Scholarly & Popular Articles
Using Special Features in Databases
Evaluating Information
Database Exploration
Finding Streaming Videos
Logical Fallacies
Getting Research Help

Developing a Research Question Takes Research

When the scope of your paper is too big, it's hard to dig through information and to write a paper wit any depth. The goal of most research papers in college is to seek a possible answer to a particular questions related to a topic. A research question, when not too broad or too narrow, helps guide and focus your paper.

The question should also be one in which you haven't decided on a pre-determined answer. You may find that looking for sources that provide a certain answer may be too limiting. The answer you are expecting might not be supported by evidence.

Brainstorm & do some pre-research

The research question isn't a question you make up at the top of your head. It's normal to start with a broad topic in mind. After doing some brainstorming about a topic, you will need to do some reading to find an angle to pursue, and, even then, your question may change as you find more information later.

Ask questions

From your pre-research, think about questions you might be able to ask regarding the topic. Most scholarly research examines fairly narrow topics and looks at relationships between concepts. One way to limit the scope of your topic is to ask who, what, where, when, why, and how questions.

Be flexible

It's okay to continue to tweak your question; the end result should be that you have answered the question you've laid out in the introduction, even if the introduction is the last paragraph you actually end up revising in your final paper.

Picking Your Topic IS Research

North Carolina State University (NCSU) Libraries, 3:10

OER Book Chapters

The Qualities of a Good Research Question from LibreTexts
Research Questions from Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research, Teaching & Learning, Ohio State University Libraries

Research is a Process

Anna Eisen (2:35)

Encourages students to develop background knowledge to create a research question. Research questions should have topic, question and significance. The narrator suggests using the following formulation: I’m studying _______________ to investigate ______________ in order to understand. Complex research questions take time to create.

Keeping your research question in mind, if you can answer TRUE to the statements below, your research question is probably workable.

It cannot simply be answered with a yes/no.
It has social significance/a problem associated with it.
There is reliable evidence available to address it.
It has appropriate scope.

Be careful about investigating questions that you think you already have the answer to.

Choosing a Manageable Research Topic

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227 Philosophy Thesis Topics To Use Right Now

A philosophy dissertation everyone’s favorite. The long list of philosophers and their allegories or theories is not a subject most students would want to listen to comfortably. However, students still have to write a philosophical thesis in their undergraduate or post-graduate to graduate.

Let us narrow down this elephant in the room for you.

What Is A Philosophical Thesis?

A philosophical paper is not a report of what various scholars have had to say on a particular issue. It is a reasoned defense of a particular thesis. Unlike other papers that present the latest findings of tests or experiments, this paper tries to persuade the reader to give in to a particular point of view together with grounds or justification for its acceptance.

The introduction of a philosophy paper states what the writer is trying to show the reader. When writing a dissertation in philosophy, follow the following simple guidelines for efficiency:

Very carefully and think about your topic
Have a rough idea of what you intend to establish
Determine how you’ll go about convincing the reader that your thesis is correct.

For an outstanding philosophy thesis, ensure that you say what you mean and in a way that minimizes the chances of being misunderstood. It is the general rule thumb for this paper that every student should have at his/her finger-tips.

What To Avoid in a Philosophy Dissertation

Understanding the do’s and don’ts of any paper is essential in ensuring that you stick within the scope of what is required of you. Here are some of the things to avoid in philosophical thesis papers for college:

Lengthy quotations: It is essential to understand that quotations are an essential part of philosophy papers. However, stating long quotes that run into paragraphs or more does not make your paper sound original. One will only see this as a duplication of another person’s work.
Circular reasoning: If you presuppose the truth of whatever it is that you are trying to bring out in the course of arguing for it, then you are guilty of begging the question.
Lengthy introductions: An intro should only serve the purpose of giving the context of your philosophy topic and creating interest in the reader. You can do it in less than four short and precise questions. Overloading your introduction only serves to drain your readers’ energy before they get into the real deal – the body.
Fence sitting: Most students are guilty of presenting several positions in their papers and then saying they are not qualified to settle the matter. Do not close by saying that philosophers have been divided over a particular issue. That only shows how shallow and scanty you were in your research process.

Always organize your work carefully, using the right words to present your stance without any disputes. The stance should also come out naturally without making the reader feel that you are forcing him/her to ascribe to your particular point of view.

It is also essential to support your arguments with undisputed evidence. Do not assume that your reader may not be skeptical of your arguments. Every reader is skeptical of whatever they read, and if sufficient evidence is not provided, then you might not convince anyone at the end of your 20-page long thesis.

Now, for you to have a strong thesis, ensure that it is:

Answering a specific question;
Engaging; one that can be challenged or opposed, thus also defended;
Passes the “so what? Or why should I care?” test;
Supported by your paper; and
Not too broad nor too vague.

To have a strong argument in your philosophical paper, demonstrate these sorts of things that make your opponent’s views false in a fashion that does not presuppose that your position is correct. Your philosophy research topics will play a significant role in supporting this claim.

You can find philosophy research paper topics from:

Early American Imprints of 1639 to 1819 Early English Books Online of 1475 to 1700 Internet archives The War Diaries of Jean-Paul Sartre The Metaphysics of Morals by Emmanuel Kant

And many more sources that are readily available in your college library or online catalogs.

We now advance to our professional philosophy topics list:

Sample Thesis Topics For Philosophy of the Human Sciences

Critique of mainstream assumptions and practices of human behavior globally
How are constructions of human nature affect our associations and lineation
Adopting a human science framework to the problem of racial discrimination in the US
How to adopt positivism in a world bombarded by negative news all the time
A rigorous and systematic approach to man’s natural behavior
The role of the Greek philosophers in shaping human sciences around the 18th century
How existential phenomenology found its way from Europe
Cultural and biological dimensions of human science research programs
The role of qualitative research methods across the discipline of the human sciences
How humanistic psychology offers more substantive findings in human science tradition
An evaluation of the colleges and universities dedicated to humanistic/human science philosophy
Discuss the impact of the American infusionism into the cultures and systems of the world
Fundamental tenets of Western civilization in developing countries
An assessment of the ancient nature of human interactions
Political and cultural standards acceptable to all human interactions

Philosophy Potential Senior Thesis Topics

A philosophical perspective of evil actions and evil persons
How the ideology of Darwinism has affected the aspect of natural selection
Distinguishing the underlying differences between intervention and information
Psychoanalysis of melancholia in teenagers
Investigating the use of biology in dealing with human philosophical issues
The evolution of philosophical writings from the 15th century to the 21st century
Examine the connection between shame and an immoral piece of art
How depression relates to natural and interactive children
What is the logic behind nightmares and madness in dreams?
An investigation of how man is adapting to the invasion of privacy by new technologies
The ethical and practical arguments against voluntary euthanasia
Discuss the relationship between value, dignity, and human virtue in the Modern Virtue Theory
The evolution of personal and corporate responsibility in the 21st century
Trends in sex and sexuality as seen in the 21st century
Why arousal of an emotion in the listener is essential in the delivery of any speech

Undergraduate Philosophy Thesis Topics

Modern science: Should we employ a monistic or pluralistic model?
How moral philosophy can help improve our understanding of folk psychology
Why is it close to impossible to escape mental externalism?
The emergence of technology and resulting bioethics as seen in the 21st century
Investigate the willingness to accept punishment after committing a civil crime
Why artificial intelligence may not be a genuinely creative entity
Discuss empathy, fiction, and morality in the development of fiction stories and folklores
The role of sporting activities in developing virtues and morals in the society
Is voluntary suicide justified for any reason whatsoever?
Why postmodern philosophical theories and market anarchism are enemies
Discuss the ultimate goal of humanity in the backdrop of the changing roles
Give a detailed analysis of the relationship between fate, destiny, and free will
What is the essence of dreams and visions to man?
Evaluate the sources of your self-worth in the light of personal attributes
What is the impact of a person’s name on who they become in the future?

Best-Rated Political Philosophy Thesis Topics

Consider the dividing line between distributive justice and the family
Investigate the gendered basis for care and caregiving
What are the underlying differences between multiculturalism and feminism
Discuss the liberal versus radical feminist positions on pornography
How social beings should live together considering the underlying differences
Following the example of Plato, discuss what it means to have an ideal society
Given the knowledge and resources available, discuss the best form of society using the US as a case study
The evolution of democracy in the US presidential election
How the history of the past several centuries has impacted the role of citizens in participation in democracy
What is the essence of having a conservative free-market economy in the 21st century?
The role of the government in regulating the economy
Should the economy incorporate both capitalist and socialist structures?
Do we have an economically viable socialist alternative to capitalism?
Is it worth fighting for an economically viable alternative to capitalism?
The conservative view of the post-World-War-Two period

Thesis Topics on the Renaissance and Philosophy

The impact of the renaissance period o man’s view of the world
Compare and contrast the High Renaissance in Rome as compared to the of Northern Europe
The impact of the scientific revolution on the renaissance period
The early renaissance period in Florence and the existence of the Flemish art
Discuss the contributions of some of the godfathers of the Renaissance
The perfect interplay between music and painting during the renaissance period
The humanist intellectual, cultural, and artistic revolution of the Renaissance
Religious symbolism and naturalistic beauty as exemplified in the renaissance period
The role of sexuality and eroticism in the works of the 16th-century renaissance art
How the discoveries of the renaissance period helped shape people’s attitudes towards life
Identify and explain the role of the Carolingian Renaissance on the Bible
The impact of the Great migration and economic changes on literature and art
Discuss how art patronage was conducted in Italy during the Renaissance
How science has made advancements in renaissance culture and art
Impacts of the early Renaissance on the medical innovations

Master Thesis Topics in Philosophy

Discuss the benefits and impacts of the renaissance period on the man
How the renaissance period played a part in the reformation of the world
A comparative analysis of philosophy, art, and culture during the Renaissance
How much influence did the renaissance period have on dressing?
Conduct a critical analysis of Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance
The contribution of sculptors of the Italian Renaissance
Discuss artistic renaissance humanism during 1400 and 1650
The Renaissance and religion: A case study of the Catholic church
Artistic revolution as a significant element of the Renaissance
The role of William Shakespeare in the renaissance period
Discuss the classical and Renaissance humanities art of the Greco-Roman artists
The cultural, economic, and political influence of the Renaissance
The age of revolutionary, Renaissance, and enlightenment period
The representation of nature in the European renaissance artistic works
How Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Rafael contributed to the new era of the Renaissance

Introduction to Philosophy Thesis Topics

Discuss whether people are good or evil by nature
What are the limitations to free will in making personal decisions?
What is the impact of the belief in God on a person’s way of life?
Discuss the compatibility issues between science with religion
Give a detailed argument for or against utilitarianism
What is the logic behind psychological and ethical egoism?
Ascertain the relevance of morals to culture or society
The role of Aesop’s fables in contributing to human philosophy
Discuss the history and development of African philosophy
What are the central tenets of African Sage Philosophy?
The critical role played by altruism and group selection
Conduct a detailed analysis of the American Enlightenment Thought
How does the American Wilderness Philosophy vary from that of today?
A case study of Anselm’s Ontological Argument for the Existence of God
Critically evaluate motion and its place in nature
Discuss association in the philosophy of the mind
How Bolzano’s mathematical knowledge played a crucial role in human philosophy

Thesis Papers Topics on Buddhist Philosophy

The view of sin and punishment between the Buddhist and Hindu religions
Buddhist believe in rebirth, which is determined by the actions one does in daily life.
Misconceptions about sexuality in the Buddhist religion
Discuss the relationship between Shinto with China and Buddhism
Analyze the four noble truths of Buddhism
The concept of salvation according to the Zen Buddhism religion
A detailed study of the confluence of Buddhism and Hinduism in India
An analysis of the faith and practices of Buddhism as a religion in India
The role of Mahatma Gandhi in advancing the ideologies and practices of Buddhism
Evaluate the vase of treasure hidden in the Buddhist iconography
Compare and contrast the various variations between Buddhism and Christianity
Elements of the Buddhism religion that make it sacred
Discuss the concept of anger and how to manage it in the Buddhism religion
Cultural histories and the expansion of the Buddhism religion in China
Differences in the Japanese versus Chinese Buddhism practices

Types of Philosophy Thesis Topics

Discuss the role of aesthetics in the study of philosophy
How epistemology has contributed to the growth in philosophical literature
Elaborate the role of ethics on the survivability of a society
How logic has been crucial in making rational decisions in a man
What are the limitations of metaphysics as a branch of philosophy?
Analyze the philosophy of mind given the fundamental tenets
Discuss the major revolutions of the African philosophy
Why does Eastern philosophy have a lower absorption rate?
Reasons why Western philosophy has a greater acceptance in the world as compared to others
Give the unique characteristics of the ancient and classical philosophy
Why the medieval and post-classical philosophies have a place in the modern world
The modern and contemporary philosophy in terms of improvements
Discuss the philosophy of language theories and stances in Europe
What is the impact of the philosophy of science theories and stances?
Discuss the epistemological stances of different philosophical schools of thought

Epistemology Paper Topics

The concept of skepticism among different readers
Analyze the internalist vs. externalist accounts of knowledge and justification
Discuss the structure of knowledge and justification
What contributes to contextualism in epistemology?
Impacts of the relevant alternative accounts of knowledge
Discuss the pros and cons of the epistemology of lotteries
A case study of foundationalism and coherentism
The impacts of facts and beliefs on people
Is skepticism doomed to an inevitable defeat?
Arguments and positions in epistemology in the 21st century
The pros and cons of different positions in epistemology
Relevant arguments and principles in epistemology: A case of The Closure Principle
Critically discuss Shoemaker’s ‘self-blindness’ concept
How the epistemology of attitudes like the belief is very different from the epistemology of other mental states
Fundamental flaws in various epistemological theories

High-Quality Philosophy Project Topics

Discuss the concept of happiness
Why egoism is a negative trait
Discuss the motive behind acts of charity
Is love merely an illusion of the mind?
Are criminals evil by nature?
Is the current generation less affectionate?
Discuss the concept of true friendship
Is there happiness in achieving nothing?
Does a perfect life exist?
Why do people struggle to attain perfectionism?
The impact of technology of taking away emotions
Analyze time management among high school versus campus students
Is obsession replacing true love?
Is the concept of ‘You Only Live Once’ viable?
Why are most geniuses’ introverts?

Easy Philosophy Paper Topics

Discuss the existence of fate in the modern world
Can we achieve an ideal society?
Is life meaningful after all?
Why should people work, yet they will die in the end?
Is the concept of feminism overhyped?
Is every human action predetermined?
Discuss the components of the human consciousness
Why do people tend to do the bad instead of the good?
Are atheists deceiving themselves?
Why is the world changing so fast?
Is there life after death?
Why must everyone go to school?
Who determines what clothes each gender should don?
The impact of religious beliefs on science
Does death usher in the new life?

Good Philosophy Topics

Do beliefs and superstitions match?
Is sex necessary?
Why should people love each other?
Should a woman head the house also?
Are other planets mere superstitions?
Are the stars in the sky fantasies?
Why bother about planning?
Do aliens exist?
Why is man rational?
What is the effect of finding a purpose in life
Do shooting stars fall on earth?
Why do fiction movies move people?
Does the moon exist?
Are we living reality or a fantasy?
Can one love more than two people?

Interesting Philosophy Topics

Was man made out of clay?
Do guns protect?
Does true love exist among teenagers?
Beauty and morality
Religion and power
Memories and love
Peace and war
Religion and own belief system
Angels and demons
Heaven and earth
Plastic surgery and ethics
Character and upbringing
Dreams and the future
The rich and the poor
Is death inevitable

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Political Philosophy Research Paper Topics

This page provides a comprehensive list of political philosophy research paper topics that aim to guide students through the vast expanse of ideas, theories, and debates that have influenced political thought over the ages. Political philosophy, with its emphasis on societal structures, rights, justice, and governance, offers a rich tapestry of subjects for academic exploration. Navigating these topics is crucial for understanding the foundational principles that have dictated and continue to shape political systems worldwide.

100 Political Philosophy Research Paper Topics

Political philosophy holds an esteemed position in the vast realm of philosophical inquiry, examining the fundamental nature of governance, rights, freedom, and societal structures. As societies evolve, so too does the need for a deepened understanding of the principles that guide them. Diving into political philosophy research paper topics is more than an academic exercise; it’s an exploration into the fabric of our collective societal heritage and a forecast of future trajectories.

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Origin and evolution of political thought.
Natural rights and their influence on politics.
The role of reason in political decision-making.
The concept of the common good.
Pluralism and its implications.
Classical vs. modern political philosophies.
The notion of political obligation.
Autonomy and its role in politics.
Political philosophy and the question of human nature.
Liberty, equality, and their tensions.
Rousseau’s Social Contract and the general will.
Locke’s Two Treatises of Government and property rights.
Hobbes’ Leviathan and the necessity of a strong sovereign.
Rawls’ theory of justice and the veil of ignorance.
Scanlon’s contractualism.
Gauthier’s Morals by Agreement.
Contemporary criticisms of social contract theories.
The role of trust in social contracts.
Feminist perspectives on the social contract.
The social contract and non-Western philosophies.
Classical principles of Athenian democracy.
Modern representative democracies.
Merits and criticisms of autocratic governance.
The rise and implications of technocratic governance.
Participatory vs. deliberative democracy.
The challenges of direct democracy.
Monarchies and their evolving roles.
Theocracy and its place in modern politics.
Tribal and indigenous governance structures.
Supranational entities and global governance.
The philosophical foundations of human rights.
Balancing individual freedom and collective responsibility.
Limitations and responsibilities of free speech.
Rights to privacy in the digital age.
Economic rights and their implications.
Rights of marginalized and indigenous groups.
Environmental rights and intergenerational justice.
Philosophical debates on freedom vs. security.
The right to revolt and civil disobedience.
Duties and the scope of global responsibilities.
Socratic views on governance and society.
Medieval political thought and the divine right.
Enlightenment thinkers and the rise of republicanism.
Fascist and Nazi political philosophies.
Post-colonial political thought.
Marxism and its global implications.
Feminist political philosophies through history.
Confucianism and East Asian political thought.
African Ubuntu philosophy and politics.
The political thought of the American Founding Fathers.
Rawls’ Theory of Justice.
Nozick’s Anarchy, State, and Utopia.
Distributive vs. commutative justice.
The gendered perspective on justice.
Restorative and retributive justice.
The philosophy of social and economic equality.
Capability approach to justice.
The philosophical foundations of affirmative action.
Intersecting oppressions and justice.
The role of luck in justice and fairness debates.
Classical conceptions of political power.
Weber’s tripartite classification of authority.
The problem of political obligation.
Foucault’s power/knowledge thesis.
Challenges to political legitimacy.
The philosophical underpinnings of civil resistance.
Power dynamics in international relations.
The concept of soft power.
Critical theory and power structures.
The philosophy behind sovereign immunity.
Just War theory and its critiques.
Philosophical perspectives on nuclear deterrence.
Humanitarian interventions and their ethical implications.
Realism vs. liberalism in international politics.
Kant’s Perpetual Peace and modern peace theories.
The politics and philosophy of global institutions.
Philosophical underpinnings of international law.
Terrorism, radicalism, and their challenges to political philosophy.
The ethics of drone warfare.
Philosophical discussions on global migration and borders.
Philosophical defenses and critiques of capitalism.
Marxist theory and its contemporary relevance.
The evolution and varieties of socialism.
Anarchist philosophies and critiques of the state.
Fascism and its ideological roots.
Libertarianism: principles and criticisms.
Environmental political philosophies.
Feminist political ideologies.
Postmodern political thought.
The future of neoliberalism.
Contemporary Issues and Challenges in Political Philosophy.
The philosophical implications of populism.
Identity politics and its critiques.
Political philosophy in the age of information.
Climate change and political responsibilities.
Bioethics, technology, and governance.
Challenges and opportunities of globalism.
Philosophical perspectives on nationalism.
The future of democracy in a digital age.
The rights and roles of AI in politics.
The political implications of post-truth.

As we delve into the labyrinth of political philosophy research paper topics, we find ourselves confronted with a vast array of ideas, theories, and questions that have shaped societies for millennia. The dynamic interplay of power, rights, governance, and ethics remains as relevant today as it did in the days of Plato and Aristotle. Engaging with these topics is more than an academic endeavor—it’s a journey into the heart of what it means to be human, to be a citizen, and to be a part of the ever-evolving story of civilization. The timeless value of political philosophy serves as a testament to its enduring influence and the essential role it plays in our collective narrative.

The Range of Political Philosophy Research Paper Topics

Introduction

The annals of Western thought have been significantly shaped by the enduring influence of political philosophy. From the early musings of Socratic dialogues to the nuanced debates in contemporary think tanks, political philosophy provides a compass by which societies navigate the turbulent waters of governance, rights, and justice.

Overview of the Historical Evolution of Political Philosophy

Political philosophy, as a distinct discipline, has its roots in ancient civilizations. Early Greek thinkers, notably Plato and Aristotle, laid the groundwork for many debates that persist today. Their considerations of the ideal state, justice, and the nature of leadership set the stage for millennia of discourse. This classical foundation was built upon during the Roman era by philosophers like Cicero and later during the Enlightenment by figures such as Locke, Rousseau, and Montesquieu. Their discussions on social contracts, individual rights, and the separation of powers have left an indelible mark on Western political systems.

The 19th and 20th centuries ushered in a plethora of new ideologies, spurred by industrialization, wars, and revolutions. Thinkers like Marx and Engels critiqued capitalism and introduced revolutionary socialist ideals. Concurrently, the horrors of war led to reflections on nationalism, imperialism, and the ethics of conflict, with philosophers like Hannah Arendt dissecting the roots of totalitarianism and the banality of evil.

Relevance of Political Philosophy Research Paper Topics

A venture into political philosophy research paper topics offers a unique prism through which one can comprehend the evolution and diversity of human governance. Every political system, from monarchies to democracies, springs from a foundational philosophical rationale. For instance, understanding the American Revolution and its aftermath is enriched by a grasp of Lockean principles of life, liberty, and property. Similarly, dissecting the rise and fall of Soviet communism is more insightful when one considers Marxist-Leninist tenets.

Moreover, as globalization melds East and West, there’s an increasing importance in understanding non-Western political philosophies. Confucianism’s influence on East Asian governance models, or the Ubuntu philosophy’s impact on African communal values, are testament to the vast expanse of political philosophical thought.

Contemporary Significance and Challenges Addressed by Political Philosophy

Today, the world is no less complex than it was for our philosophical forebears. We grapple with issues of globalism vs. nationalism, the role of AI in governance, and the sociopolitical ramifications of climate change. These challenges necessitate a philosophical lens. For instance, debates on global migration are enriched by applying Rawlsian principles of justice. Similarly, the ethical implications of surveillance in our digital age can be assessed through Foucauldian concepts of power dynamics.

Political philosophy research paper topics also offer avenues to dissect newer ideologies and movements. The rise of populism in various parts of the world, debates surrounding identity politics, and the philosophical underpinnings of the alt-right or antifa movements provide rich grounds for exploration.

The Role of Political Philosophy in Shaping Public Opinion, Policy-making, and Societal Norms

While often regarded as a high-brow academic pursuit, political philosophy is intrinsically tied to the pulse of the street. The philosophical convictions of thinkers often trickle down to shape public opinion and, by extension, influence policy-making. For instance, the principles articulated in John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty inform contemporary discussions on free speech and societal limits.

Additionally, societal norms, like our collective views on privacy, freedom, or equality, are continually shaped by ongoing philosophical discourses. The feminist philosophical movement, for example, has had tangible impacts, reshaping societal norms and pushing for policy changes in areas like workplace rights, reproductive health, and representation.

As the global landscape undergoes rapid and unpredictable shifts, the significance of political philosophy research paper topics becomes ever more pronounced. These topics, rooted in age-old debates yet adaptable to contemporary quandaries, provide invaluable tools for dissecting, understanding, and ultimately shaping the world around us. In a globalized, digitized age, political philosophy remains a beacon, illuminating the path for governance, societal values, and human rights. Its timeless relevance stands as a testament to the depth and breadth of issues it addresses, guiding societies past, present, and future.

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Philosophy Research Paper Topics: 100 Excellent Ideas
100+ Philosophy Research Paper Topics One of the most difficult tasks philosophy students faces each year is in having to come up with a philosophy topic to write a paper on. Students can get notifications of big projects months ahead of time and then spend weeks trying to figure out whether their philosophy essay topics are good enough to earn ...
130 Powerful Philosophy Research Topics to Get Started
Here, to make your topic selection process easier, we have presented a list of the best 100+ philosophy research topics and ideas. In addition to that, we have also shared some key tips on how to identify one ideal philosophy research topic out of many. Just explore and get interesting ideas for your philosophy research paper writing.
100s of Philosophy Topics For your Dissertation
More Philosophy Dissertation Research Topics. Topic 1: Why we should stop capital punishment and adopt permanent solutions to help solve crimes. Topic 2: Should people always obey the rules? A closer look at the line between breaking rules and rebellion. Topic 3: Loneliness: Reconstructing its meaning.
Philosophy Research Topics: 200+ Best Ideas To Explore
These philosophy research topics cover a wide range of areas, offering excellent opportunities for research and exploration. Whether you're interested in metaphysics, ethics, political philosophy, or any other branch of philosophy, there are numerous intriguing questions to investigate and discuss. Tips for Conducting Successful Philosophy ...
Philosophy Research Topics: 400+ Captivating Ideas
Philosophy Research Topics: 400+ Captivating Ideas. As a Ph.D. student, writing a top-notch research paper will demonstrate your understanding of a subject. Students pursuing philosophy courses tend to be perpetually engaged in studying philosophical questions and framing a philosophy research paper around those answers.
600+ Philosophy Research Paper Topics
Philosophy Research Paper Topics. This list of more than 600 philosophy research paper topics has been constructed to assist students and researchers who wish to explore a number of ideas in a specific time period or in a distinct subfield of philosophy. Topics have, accordingly, been grouped under two general headings: "Historical Periods ...
PhilPapers: Online Research in Philosophy
Welcome to PhilPapers. PhilPapers is a comprehensive index and bibliography of philosophy maintained by the community of philosophers. We monitor all sources of research content in philosophy, including journals, books, and open access archives . We also host the largest open access archive in philosophy . Our index currently contains 2,862,484 ...
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy organizes scholars from around the world in philosophy and related disciplines to create and maintain an up-to-date reference work. Co-Principal Editors:Edward N. Zalta and Uri Nodelman. Masthead | Editorial Board.
Modern Philosophy Research Paper Topics
At the heart of the myriad of modern philosophy research paper topics lie fundamental questions about knowledge, existence, ethics, and aesthetics. Whether it's Descartes' exploration of the cogito or Hume's skepticism about causation, modern philosophy continually invites us to re-evaluate deeply entrenched convictions.
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
An encyclopedia of philosophy articles written by professional philosophers. About; Editors; Desired Articles; Submissions; Volunteer; Stay Connected . Browse by Topic.
Philosophy of Research: An Introduction
Abstract. The word research itself is a combination of " re " and " search ," which is meant by a systematic investigation to gain new knowledge from already existing facts. Frankly speaking, research may be defined as a scientific understanding of existing knowledge and deriving new knowledge to be applied for the betterment of the ...
Table of Contents
secondary qualities, in early modern philosophy — see primary and secondary qualities in early modern philosophy; self feminist perspectives on the — see feminist philosophy, topics: perspectives on the self; knowledge — see self-knowledge; self-consciousness (Joel Smith) phenomenological approaches to (Shaun Gallagher and Dan Zahavi)
170 Philosophy Research Paper Topics: Awesome Free List
Here are some ancient philosophy ideas for your next research paper: A philosophical discussion about eating disorders. An in-depth look at Immanuel Kant. Talk about philosophy in ancient Greece. A philosophical discussion about the concept of reality. The life and death of Socrates. Peculiarities about the Roman philosophy.
200+ Philosophy Research Paper Topics to Impress
Extra Philosophy Research Paper Topics & Ideas. Philosophy is a broad discipline with numerous applications. It explores areas such as law, history, politics, art, ethics, and human life, among others. We have tried as much as possible to cover common philosophy research paper topics in our lists.
Unique Philosophy Research Paper Topics are a Click Away!
Philosophy research provides a gateway to intellectual growth, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of the world. However, the true magic lies in choosing a topic that resonates, as it can invigorate the research process and yield profound insights. This awesome blog post presents an extraordinary compilation of 300 fascinating ...
Research Philosophy & Paradigms
Research philosophy is one of those things that students tend to either gloss over or become utterly confused by when undertaking formal academic research for the first time. And understandably so - it's all rather fluffy and conceptual. However, understanding the philosophical underpinnings of your research is genuinely important as it directly impacts how you develop your research ...
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In a time of information overload, enigmatic philosopher Byung-Chul Han seeks the re-enchantment of the world. Heather Blakey, The University of Western Australia. Storyselling, unlike narration ...
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2018, in Trending Philosophical Topics. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP) is a collection of more than 1,600 online entries of pertinent philosophical topics. In order to decide which ...
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100 Philosophy of Science Research Paper Topics. In the quest to fathom the universe and our place within it, humanity has leaned on both science and philosophy as guiding lights. The philosophy of science, as a discipline, dives deep into the analysis of scientific practice and the conceptual foundations of science.
Developing Topics & Research Questions
From your pre-research, think about questions you might be able to ask regarding the topic. Most scholarly research examines fairly narrow topics and looks at relationships between concepts. One way to limit the scope of your topic is to ask who, what, where, when, why, and how questions. Be flexible
227 Philosophy Thesis Topics Every Student Should Have
Types of Philosophy Thesis Topics. Discuss the role of aesthetics in the study of philosophy. How epistemology has contributed to the growth in philosophical literature. Elaborate the role of ethics on the survivability of a society. How logic has been crucial in making rational decisions in a man.
(PDF) Understanding research philosophies and approaches
Research by Saunders et al., (2009), a research philosophy is an underlying set of beliefs and guidelines that guides a researcher's approach to answering research questions. It's a lofty ...
Political Philosophy Research Paper Topics
100 Political Philosophy Research Paper Topics. Political philosophy holds an esteemed position in the vast realm of philosophical inquiry, examining the fundamental nature of governance, rights, freedom, and societal structures. As societies evolve, so too does the need for a deepened understanding of the principles that guide them.

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Philosophy Dissertation Topics

Introduction

Philosophy Dissertation Topics of Research

Topic 2: Sociological Functionalism- Investigating the Development and Beliefs

Topic 3: Assessing the History and Development of Philosophical Work from the 15th to 21st Century.

Topic 4: A Comprehensive View of Social Development of Loneliness.

Topic 5: What does it mean to live in an Ideal Society- Discuss using Plato's Philosophies.

More Philosophy Dissertation Research Topics

Topic 2: Should people always obey the rules? A closer look at the line between breaking rules and rebellion.

Topic 3: Loneliness: Reconstructing its meaning

Topic 4: Understanding why religion is paramount above anything else for many people around the globe.

Topic 5: What is the best way to boost a person’s creativity?

Topic 6: Morality and religion: Why are they different, yet they talk about the same thing?

Topic 7: Wealth: Is it possible to be rich without having a lot of money?

Topic 8: How can the custom of dowry be eliminated from people’s minds?

Topic 9: To love or to be loved: Which is more important?

Topic 10: Why social behaviour and ethics cannot be separated?

Topic 11: A more in-depth look at things that make human life meaningful.

Topic 12: Is it possible to create an ideal society?

Topic 13: A closer look at modern life values.

Topic 14: Euthanasia: Is it ethical?

Topic 15: What is the value of truth? Are there instances when lying is good?

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